Basel
FC Basel crest of a shield, the left half red and the right half blue. The shield is outlined with gold and in the centre in gold letters it reads "FCB". On the left side of the logo is a gold football.
Full nameFootball Club Basel 1893
Nickname(s)FCB, Bebbi (Citizen of Basel), RotBlau
Short nameFCB
Founded15 November 1893 (1893-11-15)
GroundSt. Jakob-Park, Basel
Capacity38,512; 37,500
for international matches
OwnerFCB Holding
David Degen
PresidentReto Baumgartner
ManagerFabio Celestini
LeagueSwiss Super League
2022–23Swiss Super League, 5th of 10
WebsiteClub website

Fussball Club Basel 1893, widely known as FC Basel, FCB, or just Basel,[1][2][3] is a Swiss professional football club based in Basel, in the Canton of Basel-Stadt. Formed in 1893, the club has been Swiss national champions 20 times, Swiss Cup winners 13 times, and Swiss League Cup winners once.

Basel have competed in UEFA competitions every season since 1999–2000. They have qualified for the Group stages of the Champions League more times than any other Swiss club – a total of seven times – and are the only Swiss club to have ever qualified to the Group stages directly. In 2021 they set the new record for a Swiss team with the most successful international group stage campaign by reaching 14 points in their Conference League group.

Since 2001, the club has played its home games at St. Jakob-Park, built on the site of their previous home, St. Jakob Stadium. Their home colours are red and blue, leading to a nickname of "RotBlau".

History

Poster designed by Rudolf Dürrwang (c. 1910)

Foundation

FC Basel was started by an advertisement placed by Roland Geldner in the 12 November 1893 edition of the Basler national newspaper, requesting that a football team be formed and that anyone who wished to join should meet up the following Wednesday at 8:15 in the restaurant Schuhmachern-Zunft. Eleven men attended the meeting, generally from the academic community, founding Fussball Club Basel on 15 November 1893.

Founder members

(Source: the documentation to the club's 50th anniversary)

  • Emil Abderhalden was first team player in the early days, a famous physiologist and head of the physiological institute at the University of Halle in Germany.
  • Max Born, nothing is known about his private life.
  • Josy Ebinger was long-time player in the first team. He was active as a club official in various offices, club chairman from October 1902 to May 1903. He was vice president of the Swiss Football Association in 1900.
  • Max Geldner played at least six games for the club's first team in the first two years and was still a loyal friend and a patron of FC Basel 50 years later.
  • Roland Geldner was the first president of FC Basel. He was a well-known personality in the city and football player from the early days of football. A distinguished person, he was the soul of the club in the early years.
  • Wilhelm Glaser wore the red and blue colors as a center forward for years, played at least 14 matches. He was still follower with great interest of the FC Basel activities 50 years later
  • Jean Grieder was first and second team player, with at least one match for the first team. He was asset and liability manager and became the clubs first actuary. For years he held high honorary positions in his hometown.
  • Ferdinand Isler was a professor at the canton school in Frauenfeld. He was the first teams first captain, played at least 17 games during the clubs first three seasons. He later became actuary of the club. He was a great propagandist. He wrote brochures about the football game and translated the English rules of the game into German. He was one of the first sports journalists.
  • Wilhelm Oser was pharmacist by profession. His cheerful, spirited manner was highly valued in the club. An avid pioneer of the football movement.
  • Fritz Schäublin for many years was the highly respected rector of the humanistic grammar school in Basel. With his excellent skills he served the club in various offices for many years. He was an excellent player in the early days, played four matches in the club's first two season. He was founder of the tennis department.
  • Lucien Schmoll, nothing is known about his private life.
  • Richard Strub was still and quite, loyal member of the club. Very little is known about his private life.
  • John Tollmann was a proficient goalkeeper and played at least 23 matches during the club's first five years. He was the first secretary-treasurer of the Swiss Football Association. A personality with a very special character. Together with Roland Geldner, he was the club's driving force in the early days.
  • Charlie Volderauer was an excellent defender and played at least 33 matches. He was president December 1896 to December 1899. Arranged the first games in Switzerland against British professionals: Newcastle United and Celtic Glasgow. A rarely eager club member.

Fussball Club Basel 1893 has a long and illustrious history, that spans the period from 1893 to the present day. Having competed at the highest level of football in Switzerland for most of this time, FCB currently play in the Swiss Super League. The club was founded on 15 November 1893. At first the club played their home games in the Landhof stadium. During the mid- 1960's Basel then played their games in St. Jakob Stadium which was demolished in 1998. During the construction of the new stadium, between 1998 and 2001, the Stadion Schützenmatte was the clubs temporary home ground. Since 2001 Basel play home games at St. Jakob-Park, which is currently the largest club stadium in Switzerland.

The history of FC Basel

The Basel Coat of Arms,
FC Basel's Original logo

Due to its size the history of FC Basel has been divided into five sections. For details on individual periods of the club's history, see the following articles:

The first section deals with the foundation, the early years, the forming of the Swiss Football Association (ASF-SFV), the first league championships and the years up to and during the first World War.

The second section is about the period between the two World Wars and the introduction of the Swiss Cup. FCB did not have much of an early footballing success; it took them 40 years to win their first trophy, winning the cup in 1933, as they defeated arch-rivals and reigning cup-holders Grasshopper Club Zürich in the final.

The third section starts with relegation, no promotion, missed promotion, promotion after all, another relegation, another promotion and the second cup title. It then spans the period of Jules Düblin as chairman, the first championship title and the third cup win.

Under the motto rise and fall, the fourth section deals with the era Benthaus, seven domestic league titles, the subsequent decline, relegation, six seasons of second-tier football and the long-awaited promotion.

The fifth section deals with the financial backing that had been put into the club at that time, the move to the new stadium St. Jakob-Park, how success returned and how things have progressed to the present day.

Chart of FC Basel table positions in the Swiss football league system

Supporters and rivalries

Fans

FC Basel supporters at a 2011–12 UEFA Champions League match against FC Bayern Munich in St.-Jakob-Park

FC Basel is known for having a big and loyal local following. When polls are conducted about the most passionate club football fans, FC Basel's fans usually make the top 200 if not top 100 in the world, resulting in what is by far the highest average attendance in Switzerland with around 30,000 fans[4] attending every home game and with the new extension being built that number is expected to rise to around 40,000. The fans have also made themselves a name in numerous international matches in recent years. World tennis legend Roger Federer is one of the club's most famous fans.

In November 2010 their supporters caused the game against FC Luzern to be stopped after they threw hundreds of tennis balls onto the pitch. This was in protest at the kick off times being moved to accommodate a tennis tournament on the TV schedule.[5]

Rivalry

The city of Basel and the city of Zürich have a long-standing rivalry. Therefore, FCB's most traditional and fiercest rivals are Grasshopper Club Zürich and FC Zürich. In the past few seasons, the rivalry between FC Zürich and Basel has been fueled by Zürich's narrow league championship wins over Basel. Supporters from both sides have caused trouble in the past years, with the worst incident happening in May 2006. Basel had won the league in 2003–04 and 2004–05 and were set to make it three in a row if they won or drew against Zürich at home on the last day of the 2005–06 season. Zürich took the lead after a late goal from Iulian Filipescu and consequently won the match and the league. After the final whistle, players and fans from both teams started fighting on the pitch and in the stands. This incident has fueled hatred and bitterness between fans from FC Zürich and FC Basel. There is controversy about which rivalry is bigger, the one with Grasshopper or FC Zürich, but it usually depends on the success of these teams.

Stadium

St. Jakob-Park at night

FC Basel play their home games at the 37,500 capacity St. Jakob-Park.[6]

UEFA have awarded the stadium a 4-star rating, the highest rating that could be given to a stadium of that capacity. St. Jakob-Park was opened in 2001, originally holding a maximum attendance of 33,433. The stadium was expanded with a new stand (sector G) and upgraded to 42,500 due to Switzerland co-hosting UEFA Euro 2008. After Euro 2008, a number of seats were removed, thus giving more space between them, and the capacity was reduced 37,500 seats.[7] The stadium is nicknamed "Joggeli" by the fans and has two restaurants, Restaurant UNO and Hattrick's Sports Bar, as well as a shopping centre which opened on 1 November 2001. It also has parking space for 680 cars and has its own train station. St. Jakob-Park hosted six matches during Euro 2008, including the opening game between Switzerland and Czech Republic, and a semi-final between Germany and Turkey. The most interesting feature of the stadium is the translucent outer layer, which can be illuminated in different colours for impressive effects; this effect was copied three years later for Bayern Munich's new stadium, the Allianz Arena.

Before St. Jakob-Park was built, FC Basel played home games in the Landhof (in the Quarter Kleinbasel) and, following the 1954 FIFA World Cup, in the newly built St. Jakob Stadium which was on the same site as the current stadium. During the construction period of St. Jakob-Park, Basel's home matches were played at the Stadion Schützenmatte.

In 2016, the UEFA Europa League final was played at St. Jakob-Park.[8]

St. Jakob-Park from the inside

Affiliated clubs

FC Basel's traditional kit is a red and blue shirt. Due to the fact that some of the founders were members of the "Basler Ruder-Club", whose colors were red and blue, they adopted those colours for their new club. FC Basel's outfit is completed by blue shorts with gold trim and blue socks with red trim. From this comes the nickname "RotBlau" which is Swiss German and German for "RedBlue". Their away kit is all white with two stripes down the middle, the left being red and the right being blue. FC Basel's kits were formerly manufactured by Nike, however in the summer of 2012 a new contract was formed with Adidas to produce the kits until 2017. The main sponsor is Novartis, a multinational pharmaceutical company which is based in the city of Basel. On the inside tag of the jerseys is inscribed "Rot isch unseri Liebi, Blau die ewigi Treui, Basel unseri Stadt." This roughly translates to "Red is our love, blue the eternal loyalty, Basel our city."

According to a legend, the famous "Blaugrana" colours of Barcelona have been said to have originated from the Rotblau colours of FC Basel. This legend evolved because Joan Gamper, founder of both FC Zürich and FC Barcelona had played two friendly games for FC Basel against Mulhouse and Strasbourg on short visits, as he did for other Swiss clubs, too.[10] FC Barcelona today based on accounts of the Gamper family assumes, the colours had been taken from the rugby team of the Merchant Taylors' School near Liverpool.[11]

For the 2008–09 season, Basel changed their shirt to resemble the traditional Barcelona shirt (red and blue vertical stripes). Barcelona changed theirs to one half of the shirt red, the other blue, which happens to resemble the traditional Basel shirt.

Old FC Basel logo without the two stars

Basel's current logo is a shield, the left half red and the right half blue. The shield is outlined with gold and in the centre in gold letters it reads "FCB", for "Football Club Basel" or "Fussballclub Basel". The logo is worn in the centre of the shirt opposed to on the traditional left-hand side. Like the club colours of Basel, the logo has a striking resemblance to that of Barcelona's. There are theories that suggest that the founder of Barcelona, being at one time the captain of Basel, reincorporated the logo of Basel to that of Barcelona. The resemblances seem clear: both logos seem to incorporate the shield design, as do most other clubs. Most notably, however, is the FCB acronyms on both logos and the red-blue colours, outlined in gold. Additionally, the football that lies on the left side of the Basel logo seems to be the exact shape, type and colour as that of the Barcelona logo in the bottom centre. Because of this, many say that Basel was the inspiration in the process of founding Barcelona.

Records

  • Highest stage reached in Champions League: Round of 16 (2002–03, 2011–12, 2014–15, 2017–18)
  • Highest stage reached in UEFA Europa League: Semi-finals (2012–13)
  • Highest stage reached in UEFA Europa Conference League: Semi-finals (2022–23)
  • Biggest European home win: Basel 7–0 San Marino Folgore (24 August 2000, UEFA Cup qualifying round second leg)
  • Biggest European away win: Iceland Fram 0–5 Basel (18 September 1973, European Champion Clubs' Cup first round first leg)
  • Biggest European home defeat: Basel 0–5 Spain Barcelona (22 October 2008, UEFA Champions League)
  • Biggest European away defeat: Germany Bayern Munich 7–0 Basel (13 March 2012, UEFA Champions League knockout stage)
  • Most league appearances: Switzerland Massimo Ceccaroni (398)
  • Most league goals: Switzerland Josef Hügi (244)
  • Record number of consecutive home games unbeaten: 59 (February 2003 to May 2006)
  • Record number of consecutive unbeaten games: 26 (2011–12)
  • Highest home game attendance (St. Jakob Stadium): 60,000
  • Highest home game attendance (St. Jakob-Park): 42,500
  • Most capped foreign player: Peru Teófilo Cubillas, 81 caps, Peru
  • Most capped Swiss player: Switzerland Alexander Frei, 82 caps

Individual records, league

Updated to league matches played on 22 May 2022.[12]

Top league goalscorers
# Nat. Name Career Goals
1 Switzerland Josef Hügi 1948–1962 245
2 Switzerland Erni Maissen 1975–1982
1983–1987
1989–1991		 116
3 Switzerland Marco Streller 2000–2004
2007–2015		 111
4 Argentina Christian Giménez 2001–2005 94
5 Switzerland Karl Odermatt 1963–1976 92
6 Switzerland René Bader 1946–1953 90
=7 Austria Otto Haftl 1931–1935 81
=7 Switzerland Gottlieb Stäuble 1946–1951
1955–1959		 81
9 Switzerland Hermann Suter 1939–1948 79
=10 Switzerland Alexander Frei 1997–1998
2009–2013		 74
=10 Switzerland Alfred Schlecht 1922–1924
1925–1936		 74
=10 Switzerland Roberto Frigerio 1958–1968 74
=10 Switzerland Valentin Stocker 2007–2014
2018–2022		 74
Most league appearances
# Nat. Name Career Apps
1 Switzerland Massimo Ceccaroni 1987–2002 398
2 Switzerland Erni Maissen 1975–1982
1983–1987
1989–1991		 338
3 Switzerland Fabian Frei 2007–2015
2018–		 322
4 Switzerland Werner Bopp 1944–1960 321
5 Switzerland Josef Hügi 1948–1962 319
6 Switzerland Otto Demarmels 1967–1982 307
7 Switzerland Jörg Stohler 1970–1984 306
8 Switzerland Benjamin Huggel 1998–2005
2007–2012		 297
9 Switzerland Karl Odermatt 1963–1976 296
10 Switzerland Karl Bielser 1916–1936 293
11 Switzerland Valentin Stocker 2007–2014
2018–2022		 286
12 Australia Scott Chipperfield 2001–2012 270

Individual records, all competitions

Updated to all matches played on 22 May 2022.[12]

Top goalscorers all competitions
# Nat. Name Career Goals
1 Switzerland Josef Hügi 1948–1962 282
2 Switzerland Marco Streller 2000–2004
2007–2015		 144
3 Switzerland Erni Maissen 1975–1982
1983–1987
1989–1991		 143
4 Switzerland Karl Odermatt 1963–1976 123
5 Switzerland René Bader 1946–1953 117
6 Argentina Christian Giménez 2001–2005 116
7 Switzerland Alexander Frei 1997–1998
2009–2013		 109
8 Germany Helmut Hauser 1964–1972 107
9 Switzerland Hermann Suter 1939–1948 104
10 Switzerland Roberto Frigerio 1958–1968 103
11 Austria Otto Haftl 1931–1935 102
12 Switzerland Valentin Stocker 2007–2014
2018–2022		 101
Most appearances all competitions
# Nat. Name Career Apps
1 Switzerland Fabian Frei 2007–2015
2018–		 456
2 Switzerland Massimo Ceccaroni 1987–2002 452
3 Switzerland Otto Demarmels 1967–1982 446
4 Switzerland Jörg Stohler 1970–1984 425
5 Switzerland Valentin Stocker 2008–2014
2018–2022		 416
6 Switzerland Karl Odermatt 1963–1976 411
7 Switzerland Erni Maissen 1975–1982
1983–1987
1989–1991		 406
8 Switzerland Benjamin Huggel 1998–2005
2007–2012		 401
9 Australia Scott Chipperfield 2001–2012 385
10 Switzerland Peter Ramseier 1966–1978 372
11 Switzerland Werner Bopp 1944–1960 364
12 Switzerland Josef Hügi 1948–1962 363

Honours

National

European record

As of 18 May 2023.

Competition Pld W D L GF GA GD Win%
UEFA Champions League / European Cup 122 49 25 48 177 196 −19 040.16
UEFA Europa League / UEFA Cup 110 50 24 36 184 138 +46 045.45
UEFA Europa Conference League 34 18 8 8 62 40 +22 052.94
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup / European Cup Winners' Cup 4 0 1 3 3 13 −10 000.00
Inter-Cities Fairs Cup[lower-alpha 1] 10 1 1 8 3 13 −10 010.00
Total 266 109 57 100 398 383 +15 040.98
  1. ↑ Does not include results from the first five editions of the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup featuring "Basel XI", which included players from FC Basel as well as players from other clubs (Basel XI record: P11 W1 D2 L8 F16 A39).

Ownership

FC Basel Holding AG

The FC Basel Holding AG owns 75% of FC Basel 1893 AG and the other 25% is owned by the club FC Basel 1893 members. The club FC Basel 1893 functions as a base club independent of the holding company and the AG. FC Basel 1893 AG is responsible for the operational business of the club, e.g. the 1st team, a large part of the youth department and the back office are affiliated there. All decisions that affect the club FC Basel 1893 are made within the AG.

On 11 May 2021 the FC Basel Holding AG chairman Bernhard Burgener and board member David Degen announced a transfer of ownership rights, after months of massive fan protests. The new situation meant Degen owned 92% of the shares and about 8% is held by four small investors.[13] At the AGM of FC Basel Holding AG on 15 June 2021, Bernhard Burgener, Peter von Büren and Karl Odermatt stood down from the board of directors. A new board of directors stood for election. From that date the board consisted of Reto Baumgartner (president), Dani Büchi (delegate of the board), David Degen (vice-president), Johannes Barth, Marco Gadola, Christian Gross, Sophie Herzog and Andreas Rey. Degen said he will sell a part of the shares within his management team.[14]

On 18 August the Holding AG announced how the shares had been divided between the shareholders. Degen himself kept 40%, Andreas Rey held 18,41%, his wife Ursula Rey-Krayer also held 18,41%. A group of four other investors, these being Johannes Barth, Marco Gadola, Dani Büchi and Dan Holzmann, together held 15,14%. The other 8,04% of the shares remained by another group of investors, these being Manor AG, J. Safra Sarasin, Novasearch AG, MCH Group AG and Weitnauer Holding AG.[15]

On 27 December 2021 an extraordinary AGM of the Holding AG was held and it was announced that the Board had reorganised itself. Ursula Rey-Krayer and Dan Holzmann were unanimously elected to the board of directors. At the same time, Sophie Herzog, Christian Gross, Johannes Barth and Reto Baumgartner resigned from the Board and were to focus upon their duties as members of the Board of Directors of FC Basel 1893 AG.

Since that date the new Board of the FC Basel Holding AG consists of the following members: David Degen (president), Dani Büchi (delegate of the board), Marco Gadola, Dan Holzmann, Ursula Rey-Krayer and Andreas Rey (vice-president). With the meeting FC Basel Holding AG had an adjusted composition - the FCB shareholders were represented upon the Board of Directors of FC Basel Holding AG by those with the overall largest proportion.[16]

The Board of Directors of the FC Basel 1893 AG as it was announced in June 2021: Reto Baumgartner, (president), Johannes Barth. David Degen (vice-president), Carol Etter (delegate of the club), Marco Gadola, Christian Gross, Sophie Herzog and Andreas Rey.

Club management

The club's 127th AGM tookk place in written form, during the week from Saturday 5 June and Friday 11 June. The results were communicated on Monday 14 June. On 13 April 2021 the club announced their proposal for the club management.[17] Club president Reto Baumgartner and the two directors, Dominik Donzé and Benno Kaiser, remained in the board and three new members were elected. These three being Carol Etter (sports lawyer), Edward Turner (financial specialist) and Tobias Adler (marketingspecialist). Their exact roles are to be decided. Carol Etter was elected as delegate of the board, to represent the club at the meetings of the Holding.[18]

President Switzerland Reto Baumgartner (to date)
Director Switzerland Dominik Donzé (to date)
Director Switzerland Benno Kaiser (to date)
Director Switzerland Carol Etter (new)
Director Switzerland Edward Turner (new)
Director Switzerland Tobias Adler (new)
Ground (capacity and dimensions) St. Jakob-Park (38,512)[19]
(37,500 for international matches)[20] / 120x80 m)

Updated to match played 18 November 2020
Source: FCB Official Site


Team management

On 28 November 2022 FCB had announced that they had taken Heiko Vogel under contract as their new sporting director, as per 1 January 2023. After the end of their previous season, in which Vogel had taken over in charge of the coaching of their first team following the dismissal of Alexander Frei in February, Vogel continued in his role as sports director for this season.[21]

On 12 May 2023 the club announced that Timo Schultz had been signed a contract as head coach of the new FCB first team.[22] On 22 May they announced that the entire trainer staff had been appointed. Loïc Favé would join Davide Callà as assistant coach and Johannes Wieber would become athletic coach, Gabriel Wüthrich remained goalkeeper coach.[23] On 23 May the club announced that the new coach of the U-21 is the ex-footballer Dennis Hediger, who had been the coach of the U-18 team the previous season.[24] Appointed a his assistant coaches were Marco Aratore and Michaël Bauch.[25]

On 29 September the club announced that they were parting with coach Schultz, together with his assistant Loïc Favé, and that he would be replaced by the current sport director Heiko Vogel.[26] Vogel was dismissed a month later, with Fabio Celestini taking over until the end of the season.[27] On 17 November 2023, Martin Rueda was hired as an additional assistant coach.[28]

Position Staff
Head coach Germany Timo Schultz
until 29 September 2023
Head coach Germany Heiko Vogel
29 September–31 October
Head coach Switzerland Fabio Celestini
from 31 October
Assistant coach Switzerland Davide Callà
Assistant coach Switzerland Martin Rueda
17 November 2023
Assistant coach France Loïc Favé
until 29 September
Athletics coach Switzerland Johannes Wieber
Goalkeeper coach Switzerland Gabriel Wüthrich
Youth Team U-21 coach Switzerland Dennis Hediger
Youth Team U-21 co-coach Switzerland Marco Aratore
Youth Team U-21 co-coach Switzerland Michaël Bauch

Source: FCB Official Site

Players

Current squad

As of 7 September 2023[29]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Switzerland SUI Marwin Hitz
4 DF Spain ESP Arnau Comas
5 DF Switzerland SUI Michael Lang
6 DF Tunisia TUN Mohamed Dräger
7 MF Kosovo KOS Benjamin Kololli
8 MF Belgium BEL Jonathan Dubasin
9 FW France FRA Thierno Barry
10 FW France FRA Jean-Kévin Augustin
11 FW Germany GER Maurice Malone
13 GK Switzerland SUI Mirko Salvi
16 GK Switzerland SUI Nils de Mol
17 FW Switzerland SUI Andrin Hunziker
19 MF Austria AUT Yusuf Demir (on loan from Galatasaray)
20 MF Switzerland SUI Fabian Frei (captain)
21 MF Georgia (country) GEO Gabriel Sigua
22 DF Germany GER Sergio López
No. Pos. Nation Player
25 DF Netherlands NED Finn van Breemen
26 DF Bosnia and Herzegovina BIH Adrian Leon Barišić
27 DF Switzerland SUI Kevin Rüegg (on loan from Hellas Verona)
28 DF France FRA Hugo Vogel
29 MF Germany GER Adriano Onyegbule
30 MF Germany GER Anton Kade
31 MF Switzerland SUI Dominik Schmid
32 DF Ghana GHA Jonas Adjetey
33 MF Argentina ARG Juan Gauto
34 MF Albania ALB Taulant Xhaka (vice-captain)
37 MF Switzerland SUI Leon Avdullahu
38 FW France FRA Axel Kayombo
39 FW Switzerland SUI Junior Zé
40 MF Portugal POR Renato Veiga
99 FW Serbia SRB Đorđe Jovanović

Players out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
— GK Switzerland SUI Tim Spycher (to Baden until 30 June 2024)[30]
— DF Burkina Faso BFA Nasser Djiga (to Red Star Belgrade until 30 June 2024)[31]
— MF Ghana GHA Emmanuel Essiam (to Stade Lausanne Ouchy until 30 June 2024)[32]
— MF Belgium BEL Jonathan Dubasin (to Real Oviedo from 1 January to 30 June 2024)[33]
No. Pos. Nation Player
— MF Tunisia TUN Sayfallah Ltaief (to FC Winterthur until 30 June 2024)[34]
— FW Switzerland SUI Bradley Fink (to Grasshoppers until 30 June 2024)[35]
— FW Canada CAN Liam Millar (to Preston North End until 30 June 2024)[36][37]

Retired numbers

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
2 DF Switzerland SUI Massimo Ceccaroni (1987–2002)[a]
12 12   12th man (FCB-Fans)[b]
20 MF Switzerland SUI Fabian Frei (2007–2015, 2018–)

Women's team

Since 2009 Basel have a women's team. It competes in the Nationalliga A.

Superleague Formula

FC Basel had a team in the Superleague Formula race car series where football teams lent their name to cars. GU-Racing International has operated the car for all seasons and Max Wissel has driven the car in all the races. FC Basel and Wissel won one race, in the 2009 season at Donington Park. The team have scored three other podiums in the series.

Youth system

Basel is known throughout Switzerland for having a good youth system.[38][39] It has produced Swiss internationals such as Erni Maissen, Adrian Knup, Alexander Frei, Marco Streller, Philipp, and David Degen. Since Basel moved into the St. Jakob-Park in 2001, they have strengthened their youth academy and many young talents like the Felipe Caicedo, Ivan Rakitić, Zdravko Kuzmanović, Xherdan Shaqiri, Yann Sommer, Eren Derdiyok, and Mohammed Salah have risen through the ranks there. Since 2001, more than 40 successful players have risen through the Basel youth system and joined their first team, including:

Under-19 team

Basel Under-19s line up prior to their UEFA Youth League match away to Hamilton Accies, 2018.

There is no official Basel U-19 team, because a U-19 championship does not exist in Swiss football. The team was quickly put together in the 2011–12 season from the youngest members of the first team, the younger Under-21 and the Under-18 teams who were eligible to play in the 2011–12 NextGen Series. Note: Results and dates can be found here 2011–12 NextGen series.

Because Basel qualified for the 2013–14 UEFA Champions League, the Under-19 team was again called to life and played in the 2013–14 UEFA Youth League. This time the members of this squad were solely members from the U-21 and U-18 teams, but the team only trained together once a week. Note: Results and dates can be found here 2013–14 UEFA Youth League. A year later Basel qualified for the 2014–15 UEFA Champions League. Therefore, they were eligible to play in the 2014–15 UEFA Youth League and they took the matter a lot more seriously than the year before. Reserve team manager Thomas Häberli was also appointed as U-19 coach. Häberli's U-19 squad was still a mix between the younger U-21 and the older U-18 teams, but the team had training together virtually daily. This resulted with improved results, the team winning four games from their six, but failing to qualify for the knockout phase on tiebreak. Note: Results and dates can be found here 2014–15 UEFA Youth League.

Basel's first team qualified for the Champions League again in 2016–17, so the U-19 team was revived for the 2016–17 UEFA Youth League. Raphaël Wicky was U-19 coach. In the group stage they reached second position and advanced to the play-offs, but lost this against Rosenborg. Note: Results and dates can be found here 2016–17 UEFA Youth League.

Arjan Peço is the team coach in the 2017–18 UEFA Youth League. The team will advance to the next round. Note: Results and dates can be found here 2017–18 UEFA Youth League.

Other youth teams

The club also have 12 further youth teams: Under-18, Under-17 (Team Basel/Jura), Under-16, Under-15, Under-14, Under-13 (Footeco), Under-12 (Junioren D9 Promotion), Under-11 (Junioren Ea), Under-10 (Junioren Eb), Under-9 (Junioren F), Under-8 (Junioren F), and Bebbi (Under-7).[40]

Employees of note

Former players

Coaches

NOTE: early history is largely unknown.

President

At the club's Extraordinary General Assembly on 16 January 2012, the 601 attending members appointed Oeri as honorary president.[42]

See also

Notes and references

Notes

  1. ^
    Following the 2001–02 season, the club retired the number of Massimo Ceccaroni, a Basel native who played his entire senior career with Basel, between 1987 and 2002.
  2. ^
    The number 12 in the Basel squad became vacant on 1 July 2008. In October of that year, the board of managing directors announced their decision to dedicate this number to their fans.[43]

References

  1. ↑ "Liverpool v FC Basle". The Guardian. 26 September 2002. Archived from the original on 9 September 2014. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
  2. ↑ "FC Basle fan Roger Federer predicts 2–1 defeat for Chelsea". Sunday Express. 24 April 2014. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
  3. ↑ "FC Basle vs Chelsea: live". The Telegraph. 25 April 2013. Archived from the original on 4 April 2023. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
  4. ↑ Inoffizielles Statistik-Portal des FC Basel 1893 Archived 1 December 2005 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ↑ "justcantbeatthat.com | DIG command". justcantbeatthat.com. Archived from the original on 14 April 2023. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
  6. ↑ "Figures and facts". FC Basel 1893. 2011. Archived from the original on 3 February 2012. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
  7. ↑ "Zahlen und fakten" [facts and figures]. www.baselunited.ch (in German). Archived from the original on 6 July 2011.
  8. ↑ "Europa League: Uefa defends St Jakob-Park for Liverpool v Sevilla final". BBC Sport. 6 May 2016. Archived from the original on 20 May 2023. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  9. ↑ Anirudh Menon (8 January 2021). "I-League preview: Second division or not, the I-League matters". ESPN. Archived from the original on 19 May 2023. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  10. ↑ Lütscher, Michael (2010). Eine Stadt, ein Verein, eine Geschichte. Verlag Neue Zürcher Zeitung. ISBN 978-3-03823-643-6.
  11. ↑ Santacana, Carles (27 December 2016). "The origins of FC Barcelona's colours". FC Barcelona. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  12. 1 2 Verein "Basler Fussballarchiv". "Auswärtungen/Einsätze". Verein "Basler Fussballarchiv". Archived from the original on 29 June 2021. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  13. ↑ FC Basel Holding AG (11 May 2021). "Besitzverhältnisse geklärt – Degen übernimmt die Aktien von Burgener". Ownership clarified - Degen takes over the shares from Burgener. FC Basel homepage. Archived from the original on 14 May 2021. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
  14. ↑ FC Basel 1893 (15 June 2021). "Verwaltungsräte der FCB Holding und der AG gewählt". Board members of FCB Holding and AG elected. FC Basel homepage. Archived from the original on 29 December 2021. Retrieved 15 June 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  15. ↑ FC Basel Holding AG (18 August 2021). "Die Besitzverhältnisse der FCB-Holding sind geregelt". The ownership structure of the FCB-Holding is regulated. FC Basel homepage. Archived from the original on 7 January 2022. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  16. ↑ FC Basel Holding AG (27 December 2021). "Board of Directors - FC Basel Holding AG". FC Basel 1893 AG. Archived from the original on 3 January 2022. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  17. ↑ FC Basel 1893 (13 April 2021). "Vorschlag für die Erweiterung des Vereinsvorstand". Proposal for the expansion of the club's board. FC Basel homepage. Archived from the original on 4 June 2021. Retrieved 13 April 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  18. ↑ FC Basel 1893. "Grosse zustimmung für Vorstand und Verwaltungsrat". Great approval for the Board of Management and the Administrative Board. FC Basel homepage. Archived from the original on 14 June 2021. Retrieved 14 June 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  19. ↑ "The largest stadium in Switzerland". FC Basel 1893. 2015. Archived from the original on 11 May 2015. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  20. ↑ "2011/12 UEFA Champions League statistics handbook. AFC Ajax" (PDF). UEFA. Archived (PDF) from the original on 1 August 2019. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
  21. ↑ "Heiko Vogel stösst als Sportdirektor zum FCB" [Heiko Vogel joins FCB as sporting director]. FC Basel (in German). 28 November 2022. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
  22. ↑ FC Basel 1893 (12 May 2023). "Der neue FCB-Cheftrainer heisst Timo Schultz" [The new FCB head coach is called Timo Schultz] (in German). FC Basel 1893 AG. Retrieved 12 May 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  23. ↑ FC Basel 1893 (22 May 2023). "Trainerstab für die kommende Saison komplett" [Coaching staff for the coming season complete] (in German). FC Basel 1893 AG. Retrieved 22 May 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  24. ↑ FC Basel 1893 (23 May 2023). "Das sind die FCB-Nachwuchstrainer der nächsten Saison" [These are the FCB junior coaches for next season] (in German). FC Basel 1893 AG. Retrieved 23 May 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  25. ↑ FC Basel 1893 (4 August 2023). "FCB U-21" (in German). FC Basel 1893 AG. Retrieved 4 August 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  26. ↑ FC Basel 1893 (29 September 2023). "Der FCB und Timo Schultz gehen getrennte Wege" [FCB and Timo Schultz are going their separate ways] (in German). FC Basel 1893 AG. Retrieved 29 September 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  27. ↑ "FCB trennt sich von Heiko Vogel – Fabio Celestini übernimmt" (in Swiss High German). FC Basel. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
  28. ↑ "Martin Rueda wird Assistenztrainer beim FCB" (in Swiss High German). FC Basel. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
  29. ↑ "Spieler" [Players] (in German). FC Basel. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  30. ↑ Wehrle, Mic (6 June 2023). "Erster Neuzugang für die Challenge League: FC Baden leiht U20-Nati-Goalie vom FC Basel aus" [First new addition to the Challenge League: FC Baden borrows U20 national team goalie from FC Basel] (in German). Aargauer Zeitung. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  31. ↑ FC Basel 1893 (4 September 2023). "Nasser Djiga leihweise nach Serbien" [Nasser Djiga on loan in Serbia] (in German). FC Basel 1893 AG. Retrieved 4 September 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  32. ↑ FC Basel 1893 (7 September 2023). "Emmanuel Essiam leihweise zum FC Stade Lausanne Ouchy" [Emmanuel Essiam is on loan to FC Stade Lausanne Ouchy] (in German). FC Basel 1893 AG. Retrieved 7 September 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  33. ↑ FC Basel 1893 (23 December 2023). "Jonathan Dubasin wechselt leihweise zu Real Oviedo" [Jonathan Dubasin on loan to Real Oviedo] (in Swiss High German). FC Basel 1893 AG. Retrieved 23 December 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  34. ↑ FC Basel 1893 (13 July 2023). "Sayfallah Ltaief wechselt erneut leihweise zum FC Winterthur" [Sayfallah Ltaief again on loan to FC Winterthur] (in German). FC Basel 1893 AG. Retrieved 13 July 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  35. ↑ FC Basel 1893 (20 July 2023). "Bradley Fink leihweise für eine Saison zu GC" [Bradley Fink on a one-season loan to GC] (in German). FC Basel 1893 AG. Retrieved 20 July 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  36. ↑ FC Basel 1893 (1 September 2023). "Liam Millar zieht es leihweise zurück nach England" [Liam Millar is moving back to England on loan] (in German). FC Basel 1893 AG. Retrieved 1 September 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  37. ↑ pnefc (red) (1 September 2023). "PNE Bring Liam Millar In On Loan". Preston North End F.C. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  38. ↑ "Basel benefit from focus on youth". UEFA. 6 December 2016. Archived from the original on 6 September 2018. Retrieved 6 September 2018.
  39. ↑ "'The Talent Factory': How Basel bred Xhaka and Rakitic for Europe's best". Goal. 6 December 2016. Archived from the original on 6 September 2018. Retrieved 6 September 2018.
  40. ↑ FC Basel 1893 (2013). "Nachwuchs Teams" (in German). FC Basel 1893. Archived from the original on 29 August 2013. Retrieved 1 July 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  41. ↑ Zindel, Josef (2016). "Früherer FCB-Präsident Félix Musfeld gestorben". FC Basel 1893. Archived from the original on 5 June 2016. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  42. ↑ Raz, Florian (16 January 2012). "FC Basel: Was nach zwölf Jahren Gigi Oeri bleibt". FC Basel: What remains after twelve years of Gigi Oeri. tageswoche.ch. Archived from the original on 21 November 2021. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  43. ↑ "Die 12 definitiv den FCB-Fans" [The 12 definitely the FCB fans] (in German). FC Basel. 2 October 2008. Archived from the original on 1 February 2014. Der Vorstand des FC Basel hat entschieden, die seit dieser Saison frei gebliebene Rückennummer 12 auch künftig nicht mehr zu vergeben. Diese Nummer soll stellvertretend für den 12. Mann des FC Basel stehen – die Fans des Vereins, deren riesiges Engagament der FCB damit symbolisch honoriert
Wikimedia Commons has media related to FC Basel.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.