FC Zürich
FC Zürich
Full name | Fussballclub Zürich | ||
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Nickname(s) | FCZ/Stadtclub | ||
Founded | 1 August 1896 (1896-08-01) | ||
Ground | Letzigrund, Zürich | ||
Capacity | 26,104 | ||
Chairman | Ancillo Canepa | ||
Manager | Ludovic Magnin | ||
League | Super League | ||
2018–19 | Super League, 7th | ||
Website | Club website [13] | ||
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Fussballclub Zürich, commonly abbreviated to FC Zürich or simply FCZ, is a Swiss football men's club based in the city of Zürich in the Super League, the top tier in its league. The club was founded in 1896 and has won the Swiss Super League 12 times and the Swiss Cup 10 times. The club won the 2009 Swiss Super League and last won the Swiss Cup in 2018. Their home games are played at the Letzigrund in Zürich, which seats 25,000 spectators. For the women's team see FC Zürich Frauen.
Full name | Fussballclub Zürich | ||
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Nickname(s) | FCZ/Stadtclub | ||
Founded | 1 August 1896 (1896-08-01) | ||
Ground | Letzigrund, Zürich | ||
Capacity | 26,104 | ||
Chairman | Ancillo Canepa | ||
Manager | Ludovic Magnin | ||
League | Super League | ||
2018–19 | Super League, 7th | ||
Website | Club website [13] | ||
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History
1896–1924
Drinking-horn made by FC Zürich for its first ever game on 30 August 1896
The club was founded in summer 1896 by former members of the two local clubs FC Turicum and FC Excelsior. Later, the official founding date was set at 1 August 1896. One of the founding members was the later FC Barcelona founder, Joan Gamper, coaching and playing for FC Excelsior and its successor from 1894 to 1897.[1] The new club played its first game on 30 August 1896 on Velorennbahn Hardau in Zürich against FC Phönix St. Gallen with a 3:3 draw.[2] In 1898, FC Excelsior completely merged with FC Zürich and local club FC Victoria joined shortly thereafter.
The debut game was in 1896 with the colors blue and white.[3] The colors where changed to red and white; rivals Grasshopper Club Zürich had the same colors. When Grasshopper Club temporarily retired from the championship in 1909, FCZ returned to the colors blue and white which they continue to use.[4] Zürich won its first title in the Swiss Serie A in 1901–02, but did not win it again until 1923–24.
Until the 1930s, the club's sporting remit included rowing, boxing, athletics, and handball, but football would become the focus of the club.
1925–1960
Chart of FC Zürich table positions in the Swiss football league system
From 1925 to 1960, Zürich struggled to overcome an unsuccessful record and was described as the "wilderness years". They were relegated in 1933–34, playing in the 1. Liga to the 1941 season. In 1940–41, they returned to the Nationalliga, where they stayed until their relegation in 1945–46. They were back in the Nationalliga A in 1947–48 and stayed in the top flight until relegated in 1956–57. They were promoted from the Nationalliga B to contest the 1958–59 Nationalliga A, finishing in third place.
1960–1981
This period was known as the "Golden Years" by the FCZ faithful. At this time, the club was run by the legendary President Edwin Nägeli and had players such as Köbi Kuhn, Fritz Künzli, Ilija Katić, René Botteron, and many more. Zürich won seven championships in the years 1963, 1966, 1968, 1974, 1975, 1976 and 1981. They also won the Swiss Cup five times in 1966, 1970, 1972, 1973, and in 1976. FCZ also had some success in Europe getting to the semi-finals of the European Cup 1963–64, before losing to Real Madrid and also reaching the semi-finals in the European Cup 1976–77, where they lost to Liverpool.
1981–2005
Following the club's league title in 1981, the club went into a decline and in 1988 they were relegated to the Nationalliga B. Zürich returned to the top league in 1990. The club did make it to last 16 of the UEFA Cup 1998–99, but were beaten by Roma. The club won the Swiss Cup in 2000, beating Lausanne in the final and also in 2005 beating Luzern.
2006–2016
On 13 May 2006, FCZ ended their 25 years effort to win Super League with a goal in the 93rd minute by Iulian Filipescu against FC Basel. The goal gave FCZ a 2 – 1 victory based on goal difference. They sustained the league title In 2006–07.
In 2008 the local women's team FFC Zürich Seebach was combined with FC Zürich and would play under the name FC Zürich Frauen in the Swiss national league. FC Zürich Frauen is Swiss record champion and 2nd in the alltime table only behind FFC Bern.
In the 2007–08 season, FCZ (men's team) finished in third place. In a 2008–09 season match, they edged pass BSC Young Boys to win the league title. In 2009, they made their debut play for the group-stage of the UEFA Champions League. In the 2010–11 season FCZ finished second. The following seasons they finished mostly in mid-table positions. FCZ won the Swiss Cup 2014 in extra time against FC Basel 2 to 0.
In the 2015–16 season the club finished last, one point behind FC Lugano and was relegated to the Swiss Challenge League. Four days after the final game of the season FCZ won the Swiss Cup 2016 beating FC Lugano 1 to 0.
Recent years
In the 2016–17 season FC Zürich won the Challenge League ahead of Neuchâtel Xamax and returned after one year to the Super League. In the 2017–2018 season they finished 4th. On 27 May 2018 they won the Swiss Cup for the tenth time, beating BSC Young Boys 2:1.
Honours
Swiss Super League Winners (12): 1901–02, 1923–24, 1962–63, 1965–66, 1967–68, 1973–74, 1974–75, 1975–76, 1980–81, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2008–09
Swiss Cup Winners (10): 1965–66, 1969–70, 1971–72, 1972–73, 1975–76, 1999–2000, 2004–05, 2013–14, 2015–16, 2017–18
Swiss League Cup Winners (1): 1980–81
European Champions Cup (UEFA Champions League) Semi-finalists (2): 1963–64, 1976–77
Sir Thomas Lipton Trophy Fourth place: 1911
Rivalries
Letzigrund
Grasshopper, also from Zürich, and FC Basel are the main rivals of FCZ. Due to the intense rivalry, these matches are so-called high-risk fixtures, with an increased police presence in and around the stadium.
Zürich
Since its inception, FCZ has always had a fiery relationship with neighbouring club Grasshopper over sporting supremacy in the city. Grasshoppers are known as the club of the elite and FCZ are known as the club of the workers. This fixture is known as the only true major local derby in Swiss professional football.
Final vs. FC Basel, 13 May 2006
Before the last round of the 2005–06 Swiss Super League, Zürich were three points behind FC Basel in the league table. The last game of the season was contested by these two clubs vying for the league title at St. Jakob Park, Basel. Alhassane Keita scored the match first goal, for Zürich. In the second half, Mladen Petrić equalised. FC Basel were seconds away from the title when in the 93rd minute, Florian Stahel passed the ball to Iulian Filipescu, who scored. Zürich's success at 2 – 1 was attributed to their superior goal difference. Following the final whistle, Basel supporters stormed the pitch and attacked players on both teams (SEE:2006 Basel Hooligan Incident).
Players
Current squad
- As of 3 September 2019
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Out on loan
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Reserve squad/Zürich II
The Zürich II/U21 team plays in the Swiss Promotion League. Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Notable former players
Players and managers admitted to the FC Zurich Hall of Fame
source:[7]
Players for the Swiss national football team
Players with World Cup appearances for their national teams
Managers
FC Zürich in Europe
Season | Competition | Round | Club | Home | Away | Aggregate |
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1963–64 | European Cup | PR | Dundalk | 1–2 | 3–0 | 4–2 |
1R | Galatasaray | 2–0 | 0–2 | 2–2 | ||
QF | PSV | 3–1 | 0–1 | 3–2 | ||
SF | Real Madrid | 1–2 | 0–6 | 1–8 | ||
1966–67 | European Cup | 1R | Celtic | 0–3 | 0–2 | 0–5 |
1967–68 | Inter-Cities Fairs Cup | 1R | Barcelona | 3–1 | 0–1 | 3–2 |
2R | Nottingham Forest | 1–0 | 1–2 | 2–2(a) | ||
3R | Sporting CP | 3–0 | 0–1 | 3–1 | ||
QF | Dundee | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–2 | ||
1968–69 | European Cup | 1R | AB | 1–3 | 1–2 | 2–5 |
1969–70 | Inter-Cities Fairs Cup | 1R | Kilmarnock | 3–2 | 1–3 | 4–5 |
1970–71 | European Cup Winners' Cup | 1R | Knattspyrnufélag Akureyrar | 7–0 | 7–1 | 14–1 |
2R | Club Brugge | 3–2 | 0–2 | 3–4 | ||
1972–73 | European Cup Winners' Cup | 1R | Wrexham | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2–3 |
1973–74 | European Cup Winners' Cup | 1R | Anderlecht | 1–0 | 2–3 | 3–3(a) |
2R | Malmö FF | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–1(a) | ||
QF | Sporting CP | 1–1 | 0–3 | 1–4 | ||
1974–75 | European Cup | 1R | Leeds United | 2–1 | 1–4 | 3–5 |
1975–76 | European Cup | 1R | Újpest | 5–1 | 0–4 | 5–5(a) |
1976–77 | European Cup | 1R | Rangers | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 |
2R | Turun Palloseura | 2–0 | 1–0 | 3–0 | ||
QF | Dynamo Dresden | 2–1 | 2–3 | 4–4(a) | ||
SF | Liverpool | 1–3 | 0–3 | 1–6 | ||
1977–78 | UEFA Cup | 1R | CSKA Sofia | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 |
2R | Eintracht Frankfurt | 3–4 | 0–3 | 3–7 | ||
1979–80 | UEFA Cup | 1R | Kaiserslautern | 1–3 | 1–5 | 2–8 |
1981–82 | European Cup | 1R | Dynamo Berlin | 3–1 | 0–2 | 3–3(a) |
1982–83 | UEFA Cup | 1R | Pezoporikos Larnaca | 1–0 | 2–2 | 3–2 |
2R | Ferencváros | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | ||
3R | Benfica | 1–1 | 0–4 | 1–5 | ||
1983–84 | UEFA Cup | 1R | Antwerp | 2–4 | 1–4 | 3–8 |
1998–99 | UEFA Cup | 2QR | Shakhtar Donetsk | 4–0 | 2–3 | 6–3 |
1R | Anorthosis Famagusta | 4–0 | 3–2 | 7–2 | ||
2R | Celtic | 4–2 | 1–1 | 5–3 | ||
3R | Roma | 2–2 | 0–1 | 2–3 | ||
1999–00 | UEFA Cup | QR | Sliema Wanderers | 1–0 | 3–0 | 4–0 |
1R | Lierse | 4–3 | 1–0 | 5–3 | ||
2R | Newcastle United | 1–2 | 1–3 | 2–5 | ||
2000–01 | UEFA Cup | 1R | Genk | 1–2 | 0–2 | 1–4 |
2005–06 | UEFA Cup | 2QR | Legia Warsaw | 4–1 | 1–0 | 5–1 |
1R | Brøndby | 2–1 | 0–2 | 2–3 | ||
2006–07 | UEFA Champions League | 2QR | Red Bull Salzburg | 2–1 | 0–2 | 2–3 |
2007–08 | UEFA Champions League | 3QR | Beşiktaş | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–3 |
UEFA Cup | 1R | Empoli | 3–0 | 1–2 | 4–2 | |
Group E | Sparta Prague | N/A | 2–1 | 3rd | ||
Toulouse | 2–0 | N/A | ||||
Spartak Moscow | N/A | 0–1 | ||||
Bayer Leverkusen | 0–5 | N/A | ||||
R32 | Hamburg | 1–3 | 0–0 | 1–3 | ||
2008–09 | UEFA Cup | 2QR | Sturm Graz | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 (4–2 p) |
1R | Milan | 0–1 | 1–3 | 1–4 | ||
2009–10 | UEFA Champions League | 3QR | Maribor | 2–3 | 3–0 | 5–3 |
PO | Ventspils | 2–1 | 3–0 | 5–1 | ||
Group C | Real Madrid | 2–5 | 0–1 | 4th | ||
Milan | 1–1 | 1-0 | ||||
Marseille | 0–1 | 1–6 | ||||
2011–12 | UEFA Champions League | 3QR | Standard Liège | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 |
PO | Bayern Munich | 0–1 | 0–2 | 0–3 | ||
UEFA Europa League | Group D | Sporting CP | 0–2 | 0–2 | 4th | |
Vaslui | 2–0 | 2–2 | ||||
Lazio | 1–1 | 0–1 | ||||
2013–14 | UEFA Europa League | 3QR | Slovan Liberec | 1–2 | 1–2 | 2–4 |
2014–15 | UEFA Europa League | PO | Spartak Trnava | 1–1 | 3–1 | 4–2 |
Group A | Apollon Limassol | 3–1 | 2–3 | 3rd | ||
Borussia Mönchengladbach | 1–1 | 0–3 | ||||
Villareal CF | 3–2 | 1–4 | ||||
2015–16 | UEFA Europa League | 3QR | Dinamo Minsk | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–2 |
2016–17 | UEFA Europa League | Group L | Villareal CF | 1–1 | 1–2 | 3rd |
Steaua București | 0–0 | 1–1 | ||||
Osmanlıspor | 2–1 | 0–2 | ||||
2018–19 | UEFA Europa League | Group A | Bayer Leverkusen | 3–2 | 0–1 | 2nd |
Ludogorets Razgrad | 1–0 | 1–1 | ||||
AEK Larnaca | 1–2 | 1–0 | ||||
R32 | Napoli | 1–3 | 0–2 | 1–5 |