Relegated Grasshopper fans demand players surrender shirts

Founded in 1886, Grasshoppers Zurich are the oldest and historically most successful club side in Swiss football with 27 league titles in the trophy cabinet. 

Recent success for GCZ however has been limited with the last of the league title hauls coming over 15 years ago with the halcyon days of continued success in the 1970s and 80s a long time away.

Given the clubs illustrious history, their spiral towards the club's first relegation in almost 70 years has not been well received by the Grasshoppers fan-base.  

Not fit to wear the shirt 

As the Zurich based outfit trailed 4-0 in Luzern, a result which would have condemned them to relegation, riot police were mobilised as fans in the away sector threatened a pitch invasion.

Several dozen fans moved to the front of the terraces and threatened to storm the pitch as they faced off with a line of stewards and riot police. As the referee removed the players from the pitch, Grasshopper Zurich fans then demanded players hand over their playing shirts and shorts as threatening further action if their requests were not met.

Some players eventually went over to the fans and handed over their shirts as the match official abandoned the game after a 16-minute wait.

The Swiss league's disciplinary commission will now have to meet and decide on the outcome of the match as the result has not been declared official.

The most likely outcome is that FC Luzern will be awarded the three points and this will condemn Grasshopper to relegation to the second tier Challenge League.

Hard core supporters had previously forced a match at Sion to be called off after throwing flares onto the pitch when their team were trailing 2-0.