Origins of FC Zurich match finally revealed

It was quite a surprise for most of us AFCB fans to find out that our beloved club would be playing a pre-season match on 5 July in Switzerland against the mighty FC Zurich. No one really questioned why such a match has come about or why the Cherries are able to attract the attention of such a team. Well Cherry Chimes has been endeavouring to find out how the game actually came about and I can now reveal a little more.

You might have thought that Lucerne would be the best match up that Bournemouth would find in Switzerland as the two town's are twinned. Yet, the link up between FC Zurich and AFCB is not based on the friendship of the towns. It is more to do with individuals I've been told.

No, Steve Fletcher has not been put in plaster after skiing in the Alps and Eddie Howe has not been scouting Switzerland's best young international players with FC Zurich's help. I approached Eddie Bear about which individual it could be, but he has been told to keep the answer secret with the promise of a few Toblerone bars! I tried to get him to talk, but I couldn't get anything out of him. His lips are sealed. No, honestly they are.

Eddie Bear is sworn to secrecy over the origins of the Zurich match.

I was beginning to run out of ideas but being resourceful Cherry Chimes used all his skills and managed to hear some news on the Swiss football hotline about how it all came about. The reason for the match is quite simple. Are you ready?

I guess it's only fair that I tell you now. But perhaps you have already guessed the answer? No?

Oh well, the reason is that Mr Maxim Demin and the FC Zurich club owners have become close friends in recent times. Maxim has some business interests in Zurich and is also a keen follower of the side over there. Although the friendship does not really go any deeper than that, I am told that the game is being held as a sign of the friendly relationship between the two owners of the clubs. There, the secret is out.

What a shame that the NPower league closed that loop hole about loaning players from foreign teams last season after the Watford and Udinese dealings. Of course AFCB could still benefit from having close friendships with a foreign club and learning from their experiences.

In this instance though it was a case of who you know and Mr Demin clearly knows some very powerful people in the football world, having already introduced AFCB to Locomtiv Moscow and FC Saarbrucken, only a couple of seasons ago (2011), when the Energy Consulting Group Cup tournament was held at Dean Court.

While know body yet knows the pre-season fixtures for next year, but we have surveillance outside the San Siro, Camp Nou, Bernabeu and Allianz Arena, just in case Mr Demin is spotted at another a stadium.