The ownership group of Major League Soccer’s Los Angeles Football Club announced this week that it has divested its controlling interest in Grasshopper Club Zürich, the storied Swiss side that has spent the last three seasons flirting with the country’s second division.
The transaction, which culminates a stint marked by on‑field instability and off‑field uncertainty, places the club in the hands of Bridge Football Group, a venture that already oversees professional outfits in Italy and the Netherlands.
Grasshopper, a club that boasts a record 27 Swiss league titles and a Swiss Cup triumph as recent as 2013, has struggled to translate its historic pedigree into consistent top‑flight performance, a reality underscored by its lack of ownership over the Letzigrund stadium, the venue it shares with FC Zurich.
The sale also brings to light the eclectic roster of investors who backed LAFC at its inception, among them entertainment veteran Peter Guber, former NBA executive Mark Shapiro, comedian Will Ferrell and basketball legend Magic Johnson.
According to sources familiar with the deal, Bridge Football Group acquired the stake from the Chinese consortium that had taken over the club earlier in the year, a group whose tenure was punctuated by Wolverhampton Wanderers’ relegation from the English Premier League in May.
Implications for Swiss Football
The acquisition could inject fresh capital and managerial expertise into a club that has, for years, operated under a cloud of financial pragmatism, relying on shared facilities and modest revenue streams.
Observers note that the deal reflects a broader trend of North American investors eyeing European football as a growth market, a pattern that has already reshaped several lower‑tier leagues.