Sports

Bayern Munich lose Grasshopper Zürich as partner club

Nairavoice · Aug 30, 2026 · 2 min read

Bayern Munich’s connection to Red&Gold Football, as co-founders alongside Los Angelese FC, has seen the club expand its’ youth movement. Players from Red&Gold Football partner clubs train and trial in Munich, with Bara Sapoko Ndiaye one of many to trial and the first to succeed in earning a move to Bayern, while acquired players move between these clubs, such as when Armindo Sieb left for LAFC.

One of the benefits most apparent to the average fan Bayern enjoyed was the ability to loan players out to Grasshopper Zürich. The Swiss Super League team was never part Red&Gold Football, but LAFC were majority stakeholders at the club and that connection allowed Bayern to send loan players to Switzerland to get their feet wet in professional football. Grayson Dettoni, Nestory Irankunda, Jonathan Asp Jensen and Lovro Zvonarek all had stints in Zürich.

But that will no longer happen. As of the end of June 2026, LAFC sold their majority stake in Grasshopper Zürich. As reported by Tzmuenchen (and captured by @iMiaSanMia) this ends their status as potential loan destination for Bayern talents:

Bayern’s Red&Gold Football partner LAFC sold their majority stake in Grasshopper Club Zürich at the end of June, therefore the Swiss club is no longer a partner club and no longer a potential loan destination for Bayern youth talents. LAFC will focus exclusively on the existing partnership with Austrian second division club FC Wacker Innsbruck, and are also exploring the European market for a potential investment in a new club. FC Bayern could then potentially benefit from such an investment.
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Bayern’s Red&Gold Football partner LAFC sold their majority stake in Grasshopper Club Zürich at the end of June, therefore the Swiss club is no longer a partner club and no longer a potential loan destination for Bayern youth talents. LAFC will focus exclusively on the existing partnership with Austrian second division club FC Wacker Innsbruck, and are also exploring the European market for a potential investment in a new club. FC Bayern could then potentially benefit from such an investment.

This is good and bad. No club should have to accept loan players if it is in another club’s best interest. These are the worst aspects of such multi-club groups. Unfortunately, Grasshopper Zürich landed right in the hands of another multi-club ownership group, Bridge Football Group.

Those jokers have a club in China, Italy, Netherlands and now, of course, Switzerland. Struggling to remain in the top division and handed from one multi-club ownership to the next, things look bleak for Grasshoppers.