Ajax faces its final hurdle toward the Conference League League Phase this week, traveling to the Stade de Tourbillon to meet Swiss side FC Sion on Thursday, August 20, at 20.15 hours Dutch time, according to Voetbalnieuws.
Broadcast Friction and Fan Frustration Over Streaming Costs
Supporters of the Amsterdam club discovered they must pay a one-off fee of 4.99 euros to watch the away match via the streaming platform KIJK, a development that led Ajax fans to immediately express their dissatisfaction on X.
For Ajax, the most important two-legged tie of the European qualifying rounds begins on Thursday. After eliminating Vojvodina and Shelbourne, FC Sion is the final opponent before the Amsterdammers can secure a place in the Conference League. The winner over two matches will earn a spot in the main tournament. However, Ajax is not in the best form. The Amsterdammers played their last two matches to 2-2 draws, conceding late goals in both. As a result, coach Míchel’s team will travel to Switzerland with a less-than-ideal feeling. FC Sion, conversely, is in excellent form. The Swiss side has won its last three matches and is clearly in a winning mood. Ajax will therefore have to get to work immediately in Switzerland. The Amsterdammers want to create a strong starting position for the return leg, which will be played a week later in the Johan Cruijff ArenA. That is where it will ultimately be decided which of the two clubs qualifies for the Conference League.
Inside Stade de Tourbillon and the Swiss Opposition
Sion is a football club founded in 1909 that competes in the Super League, the highest division in Switzerland. The team’s club colors are red and white, and it plays its home matches at Stade de Tourbillon. Sion’s nickname is Les Sédunois, which literally means ‘The people from Sion’. The venue dates back to 1968 and is owned by the municipality of Sion. The away section can accommodate 550 Ajax fans this Thursday. All of these spots are filled. Consequently, Ajax can count on a sold-out away section in Switzerland. Normally, the stadium fits about twenty thousand supporters, but this consists of approximately 11,500 standing places and 8,700 seats. UEFA rules prohibit standing terraces, which is why the stadium capacity is significantly lower in European competitions. This is also the reason Ajax is entitled to 550 away tickets instead of the previously communicated thousand tickets.
The city of Sion – in German ‘Sitten’ – is one of the smaller cities in Switzerland. It is the capital of the canton of Valais and is located in the Rhône Valley, nestled between the high Alps. For winter sports activities, you can certainly have fun in Sion. This is evident when looking at pictures of Stade de Tourbillon. From the stadium, you can see mountain ranges. Those who look closely will also see a beautiful castle on one of the rocky hills. The image of the city is defined by two hills. Together, they form the symbol of the city. From both hills, you have a magnificent view. For travel-loving Ajax fans, it might be fun to visit the higher ground. Furthermore, the historic city center is relatively compact and atmospheric, with alleys, squares, terraces, and old buildings.
The team has been led since 2023 by French coach Didier Tholot. He is well-known to Sion supporters. As a striker, he played for Sion during three different periods. He has also been the head coach of the club twice before. He also played for FC Girondins de Bordeaux, where he was teammates with big names like Zinedine Zidane, Christophe Dugarry, and Bixente Lizarazu. Tholot prefers to play offensively and experimented with a 4-2-3-1 formation during the pre-season. Sion reached the Conference League play-offs by defeating FC Noah over two matches. In Armenia, the first leg ended in a 2-2 draw. At home, Sion won narrowly 2-1. That was enough to qualify for the two-legged tie against Ajax. On Sunday, Sion won convincingly 6-1 against FC Kerzers in the Swiss Cup. However, too much value should not be attached to that, as Kerzers competes at the sixth level of the country. Nevertheless, it was a nice dress rehearsal leading up to the first match against Ajax.
Form, Figures, and the Road Ahead
In the Alpine country, Ajax is still seen as a big club, but it is also recognized how Sion’s attackers could hurt Míchel’s team. Rilind Nivokazi is the Kosovar striker on duty. He doesn’t score much, but he is responsible for the necessary assists. Playing behind him is the twenty-year-old Winsley Boteli, who has already scored six times this season and has a high efficiency. The Geneva-born attacker is currently the man in form at Sion.
The team has been champion of Switzerland twice in its club history. The last time was in 1992. In the domestic cup, it had more success. The national cup was won thirteen times, although this last happened in 1997. Sion reached the cup final thirteen times and won every final it played. After achieving the double in 1997, Sion ran into significant financial trouble. One year even resulted in bankruptcy. The club got a new owner through the takeover by Gilbert Kadji. Sion was allowed to continue the season one level lower in the Nationalliga B. The team was promoted back to the top level in 2000. Yet, things quickly went wrong again. Kadji could no longer save the situation in 2001. New financial turmoil followed, so the Swiss Football Association relegated Sion back to the Nationalliga B. This gave Kadji reason to leave the club. It took four years for Sion to return to the Super League. Since then, they have not disappeared from it. It should be noted, however, that Sion managed to narrowly escape relegation a number of times. The Swiss Christian Constantin has been chairman of Sion since 2003. Under his leadership, the club’s finances stabilized, but it went through one coach after another.
The Swiss league is now three matches underway. Ajax’s opponent currently occupies fourth place. It won twice against FC Vaduz and FC Luzern and lost to second-place BSC Young Boys.
