Can there still be a solution for the Kloten Flyers?

As we have already informed you in late April the Kloten Flyers are in a delicate financial situation. Three weeks later the situation even has worsened for Kloten as the players currently under contract with the National League A club have now set a new deadline until they want to get the rest of their salaries not yet paid by the Flyers. In a first deal Flyers president Jürg Bircher promised to pay the April wages until 10 May the latest but the team never saw the money. According to the Swiss daily newspaper Blick Bircher said it wouldn't make sense to pay the money right now if the club has to go into bankruptcy as a consequence. Now the Flyers have to pay the April wages (around 650,000 francs) by 31 May the latest or every player is allowed to join another team. That the money will be paid is more than doubtful as the Flyers lost around 7 million francs during the corporate year 2011-2012. If the five time Swiss champion won't find new investors in a very short time, the lights could go out for one of Switzerland's clubs with the longest tradition of professional ice hockey. A comeback would only be possible in the fourth tier of Swiss ice hockey.
 
Millionaire Hans-Ulrich Lehmann who was willing to help the team survive, told the media that he couldn't take responsability for an investment as it would be to risky. According to him current president Bircher has left a complete wrackage in his tenure. The dark financial situation of the Kloten Flyers also sheds light on other institutions as the accounts of the Flyers have been checked by the Swiss branch of PricewaterhouseCoopers in the past and they already received their license to play in the NLA during the 2012-13 season.

The members of the NLA team themselves want to meet later this week after the return of their players who participated in this year's world championship in Finland and Sweden. 

 

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