The 1893 advertisement that launched a Swiss football dynasty
In short: In November 1893, a simple newspaper plea for a football team brought eleven men to a restaurant. What began as an academic gathering in Basel has evolved into a powerhouse with 21 national championships and a historic presence in the Champions League.
The origins of FC Basel are remarkably humble. On November 12, 1893, Roland Geldner placed an advertisement in the Basler national newspaper, inviting anyone interested in forming a football club to meet the following Wednesday at 8:15 at the Schuhmachern-Zunft restaurant. Only eleven men, mostly from the academic community, attended the meeting on November 15, 1893, to establish the club. The team's iconic red and blue colours were chosen from that very first day.
The club's early history was marked by both sudden glory and significant struggle. While they achieved their first national title in the 1932–33 season by defeating Grasshoppers 4–3, they also faced periods of decline, including relegations in 1938–39 and again in the mid-1940s. The club's identity has been shaped by legendary figures, such as the player-manager René Bader in the 1950s and the influential Helmut Benthaus, who led the team through several successful eras.
One of the most surreal moments in the club's history occurred during the 1966–67 Swiss Cup final. Following a controversial penalty awarded to Basel, the Lausanne-Sports players staged a sit-down strike, refusing to continue the match. The referee was forced to abandon the game, and Basel was awarded a 3–0 default victory, securing a historic domestic double. In the modern era, the club has become a staple of European competition, maintaining a 25-season streak in UEFA competitions between 1999 and 2024.
Today, the club plays at St. Jakob-Park, which opened in 2001 on the site of their former stadium. Basel remains a dominant force in Swiss football, holding a record for qualifying directly for the Champions League group stage among Swiss clubs.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: FC Basel
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