Tomas Oral is no longer coach of Grasshopper Club Zurich. He has achieved his goal with the traditional club.
When Oral took over GC from Marco Schällibaum last November, the Swiss record champions and cup winners were literally on their knees. In second-last place in the table, relegation seemed like a real possibility.
The 52-year-old from Ochsenfurt rolled up his sleeves and pulled Grasshoppers out of the doldrums. On the last day of the relegation round, the Zurich team overtook Yverdon in a dramatic season finale and saved themselves from the relegation play-offs.
From the outset, there was a clear mission
With a 4-0 and 0-1 win against second-division side FC Aarau, GC finally secured their ticket for another season in the Swiss top flight at the end of May. “I came to GC with a clear mission from the outset: to secure the club’s place in the league. I am proud to have achieved that,“ Oral said on Saturday, the day of his departure, expressing his gratitude for the trust placed in him.
Alain Sutter, a former Bundesliga professional with Bayern Munich, Nuremberg, and Freiburg, echoed those sentiments as the club’s sporting director. ”Tomas has done an excellent job in a challenging period. I quickly got to know him as a strong coach and a very pleasant person,” said the 57-year-old, referring to important victories under Oral, such as the 5-0 win against Yverdon, the 2-0 win against St. Gallen, and the clear 4-0 first-leg victory in the relegation play-off against Aarau.
Complete overhaul and fresh impetus
However, GC wants to start the coming season “with a new sporting direction, including a complete overhaul of key positions and fresh impetus.” Despite going their separate ways, Sutter said there remains “great respect” for Oral. It is not yet known who will succeed Oral. However, the first opponent of the new season is already known – on July 26, Grasshopper will host FC Lucerne at Letzigrund and hope for a successful start to a worry-free season.
