EHC Winterthur will let go of Mario Antonelli by the end of January. Differences in strategy and direction as well as unmet expectations regarding income have led to the decision by the administrative board, as Der Landbote writes.
Whether the club has a future in the Swiss League remains to be seen. Financial issues might force them out of professional hockey, even though their long-term aim is the Swiss League.
Majority shareholder and administrative board president Rolf Löhrer will have to cover the expected loss this season. "I will not do that again. If we do not get substantial contributions from the league or the federation for next season, we cannot lift a budget for the Swiss League", he notes. Nobody knows whether there will be such support. Nor if there will even be a Swiss League like it is at the moment.
A new team manager will only be hired once the administrative board is able to decide where the club's future lies. The date for a voluntary withdrawal from the Swiss League without any consequences is the end of January.
