1959–60 FC Basel season
The 1959–60 season was Fussball Club Basel 1893's 66th season in their existence. It was their 14th consecutive season in the top flight of Swiss football since their promotion from the Nationalliga B the season 1945–46. They played their home games in the Landhof, in the Wettstein Quarter in Kleinbasel. Ernst Weber was the club's new chairman taking over from Jules Düblin after the AGM on 27 May 1959. Düblin presided the club during the period July 1946 until Mai 1959 and in the club's history he is the most permanent president that the club has had to date.[1]
| 1959–60 season | |
|---|---|
| Chairman |  Ernst Weber |
| Manager |  Jenő Vincze |
| Ground | Landhof, Basel |
| Nationalliga A | 10th |
| Swiss Cup | Round of 16 |
| Top goalscorer | League: Roberto Frigerio and Josef Hügi (both 15)All: Josef Hügi (19) |
| Highest home attendance | 8,000 on 24 April 1960 vs La Chaux-de-Fonds and on 11 June 1960 vs Young Boys |
| Lowest home attendance | 3,800 on 8 November 1959 vs Winterthur and on 13 December 1959 vs Lugano |
| Average home league attendance | 5,523 |
Overview
Jenő Vincze was hired as new team manager, following René Bader who had been trainer ad-interim. The Hungarian ex-international footballer Vincze had been team manager of Servette the previous two seasons. Defender Ulrich Vetsch joined the club from Young Fellows Zürich, Hungarian striker Ferenc Stockbauer joined from SV Wiesbaden, Paul Speidel from lower tier club FC Olten and Jean-Louis Gygax from lower tier FC Moutier. In the other direction Hans Hügi moved on to Young Fellows Zürich after 11 seasons and 220 league and cup games for Basel. Hermann Suter, who had played 16 seasons for Basel and in 229 league and cup games had scored 104 goals, ended his active football career. Antoine Kohn moved on to play for Fortuna '54. Fredy Kehrli, Charles Turin and Gottlieb Stäuble returned to or moved on to newly promoted Biel-Bienne.[2]
Basel played a total of 44 games this season. Of these 44 matches 26 were in the domestic league, four were in the Swiss Cup and 14 were friendly matches. Only two of these friendly games were played at home, the rest were played away, including two in the Easter tournament in Bruges against Polonia Bytom and Club Brugge KV. The friendly games resulted with six victories, four draws and four defeats. The team scored 33 goals and conceded 18.[3]
Fourteen teams contested the 1959–60 Nationalliga A, these were the top 12 teams from the previous season and the two newly promoted teams FC Winterthur and FC Biel-Bienne. The Championship was played in a double round-robin and the last two teams in the table to be relegated. Basel started badly into the new season, losing five of the first seven games. In fact, the team won only one of their first 16 games and were always in the lower regions of the league table. However, with five victories in their last ten league matches, the team lifted themselves to tenth position in the table, but were still lower positioned than the afore mentioned two newly promoted teams. In fact, Biel-Bienne managed to end the season in second position behind the reigning and new champions Young Boys who won the championship for the fourth successive season. Two of these last five victories were against Lugano and Bellinzona and these two teams then suffered relegation. Basel's top league goal scorers were Roberto Frigerio and Josef Hügi both of who managed 15 league goals. Frigerio managed a hat-trick in the away game against Zürich on 20 March 1960.[4]
Basel entered the Swiss Cup in the third principal round. They were drawn away against third tier SC Derendingen and won 1–0 through a goal by their Hungarian striker Ferenc Stockbauer. In the next round Basel were drawn at home at the Landhof against lower tier team FC Porrentruy and this ended with a 5–2 victory. In the round of 16 Basel played a home 1–1 draw with the Young Boys, but then lost the replay 3–5. Luzern won the competition winning the final against Grenchen.[5]
Players
The following is the list of the Basel first team squad during the season 1959–60. The list includes players that were in the squad on the day that the Nationalliga A season started on 23 August 1959 but subsequently left the club after that date.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
|
- Players who left the squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
|
Results
- Legend
Win Draw Loss Postponed
Pre- and mid-season
| 1959 Pre-season | Concordia Basel | 1 – 4 | Basel | Basel |
 |
Summary | |
| 1959 Pre-season | SC Binningen | 0 – 2 | Basel | Binningen |
| Summary | |
| 2 August 1959 Pre-season | Grenchen | 2 – 2 | Basel | Stade de Fontenais, Fontenais |
| Hamel 21' (1:0) Hamel (2:1) |
Summary | 23' (1:1) Frigerio (2:2) Ludwig |
Attendance: 1,500 Referee: Surdez Delémont |
| 8 August 1959 Pre-season | SC Kleinhüningen | 1 – 6 | Basel | Schorenmatte, Basel |
| 18:00 | Meier (1:6) |
Summary | 23' (0:1) Frigerio 27' (0:2) Frigerio (0:3) Stockbauer (0:4) Schraut (0:5) Speidel (0:6) Speidel |
Attendance: 300 Referee: M. Schreiber Reinach |
| 12 August 1959 Pre-season | Basel | 0 – 2 | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Standard Liège | Landhof, Basel |
| 20:00 | Summary | 71' (0:1) Paeschen 77' (0:2) Paeschen |
Attendance: 4,500 Referee: Gottfried Dienst Basel |
| 16 August 1959 Pre-season | Aarau | 1 – 0 | Basel | Stadion Brügglifeld, Aarau |
| Crivelli (1:0) |
Summary | Attendance: 2,400 Referee: W. Müller Baden |
| 20 September 1959 Mid-season | FC Emmenbrücke | 1 – 4 | Basel | Gersag, Emmenbrücke |
| De Mauro (pen.) |
Summary | (1x) Hügi (II) (1x) Oberer (1x) Chenaux (1x) Stockbauer |
Attendance: 500 Referee: Anton Bucheli Luzern |
| 3 October 1959 Mid-season | Basel | 0 – 0 | Nordstern Basel | Landhof, Basel |
| 16:00 | Summary | Attendance: 1,000 Referee: E. Emmenegger Basel |
| 25 October 1959 Mid-season | FC Langenthal | 0 – 5 | Basel | Langenthal |
| Summary | |
Attendance: 1,500 |
Winter break and mid-season
| 1 February 1960 Winter break | Baden | 2 – 6 | Basel | Scharten, Baden |
| Arnold 3' (1:0) Schweizer 22' (2:2) |
Summary | 10' (1:1) Frigerio (1:2) Jaeck 40' (o.g. 2:3) 55' (2:4) Frigerio (o.g. 2:5) (2:6) Jaeck |
Attendance: 1,200 Referee: W. Rufli Bremgarten |
| 17 April 1960 Semi-final | Polonia Bytom  | 1 – 1 (7 – 8 p) | Basel | Bruges |
| Pilodwizck 55' (1:0) |
Summary | (1:1) Hügi (II) |
||
| Penalties | ||||
  |
|
|||
| Note: Easter tournament in Bruges. Decision after penalty shootout: 10 shots per team, Basel score 8 times, Bruges only 7 times. | ||||
| 18 April 1960 Final | Club Brugge KV | 2 – 0 | Basel | Bruges |
| Gerard 13' (1:0) van Eeckhout 78' (2:0) |
Summary | |||
| Note: Easter tournament in Bruges. | ||||
| 17 April 1960 Mid-season | Basel | 1 – 3 |  Toulouse FC | St. Jakob Stadium, Basel |
| 20:00 | Hügi (II) 10' (1:0) |
Summary | 15' (1:1) Maouche 30' (1:2) Dorsini 75' (1:3) Schultze |
Attendance: 1,200 Referee: Anton Bucheli Luzern |
Nationalliga A
League matches
| 23 August 1959 Round 1 | Grenchen | 3 – 2 | Basel | Stadion Brühl, Grenchen |
| 15:00 | Morf 22' (pen. 1:1) Glisovic 29' (2:1)Moser 60' (3:2)Raboud (I)  |
Summary | 3' (pen. 0:1) Michaud 38' (2:2) Ludwig |
Attendance: 3,800 Referee: Anton Bucheli Luzern |
| 30 August 1959 Round 2 | Basel | 0 – 2 | Biel-Bienne | Landhof, Basel |
| 15:00 | Summary | 10' (0:1) Koller 41' (0:2) Derwall |
Attendance: 5,000 Referee: Guinnard Gletterens |
| 6 September 1959 Round 3 | Grasshopper Club | 3 – 0 | Basel | Hardturm, Zürich |
| 16:15 | Gabrieli 3' (1:0) Hagen 60' (2:0)Ballaman 69' (3:0) |
Summary | Attendance: 7,000 Referee: Meister Neuchâtel |
| 13 September 1959 Round 4 | Basel | 3 – 1 | Zürich | Landhof, Basel |
| 15:00 | Oberer 58' (1:1) Weber 4' (2:1)Hügi (II) 76' (3:1) |
Summary | 13' (0:1) Reutlinger Kehl Stählin |
Attendance: 4,900 Referee: Victor Werner Schicker Bern |
| 27 September 1959 Round 5 | Servette | 5 – 2 | Basel | Charmilles Stadium, Geneva |
| Heuri 30' (1:2) Fatton 36' (2:2)Schneider 45' (pen. 3:2)Fatton 71' (4:2)Fatton 84' (5:2) |
Summary | 5' (0:2) Hügi (II) 15' (0:2) Stockbauer |
Attendance: 5,000 Referee: Paul Wyssling Zürich |
| 11 October 1959 Round 6 | Basel | 2 – 2 | Lausanne-Sport | Landhof, Basel |
| 15:00 | Weber 34 1:1' Michaud 69' (2:2) |
Summary | 32' (0:1) Hosp 49' (pen. 1:2) Vonlanden |
Attendance: 4,500 Referee: Othmar Huber Thun |
| 18 October 1959 Round 7 | La Chaux-de-Fonds | 4 – 1 | Basel | Stade Charrière, La Chaux-de-Fonds |
| 15:00 | Sommerlatt 25' (pen. 1:0) Morand 70' (2:0)Antenen 75' (3:0)Antenen 79' (4:1) |
Summary | 77' (3:1) Frigerio |
Attendance: 4,000 Referee: Schüttel Sion |
| 8 November 1959 Round 8 | Basel | 3 – 3 | Winterthur | Landhof, Basel |
| 14:30 | Frigerio 5' (1:0) Frigerio 37' (2:2)Oberer 43' (3:2) |
Summary | 12' (1:1) Scheller 30' (1:2) Akeret 59' (3:3) Etterlin |
Attendance: 3,800 Referee: Anton Bucheli Luzern |
| 15 November 1959 Round 9 | Bellinzona | P – P | Basel | Stadio Comunale, Bellinzona |
| [ Summary] |
| 22 November 1959 Round 10 | Basel | 3 – 3 | Luzern | Landhof, Basel |
| 14:30 | Hügi (II) 20' (1:0) Frigerio 30' (2:0)Frigerio 77' (3:3) |
Summary | 37' (2:1) Hahn 42' (2:2) Hahn 66' (2:3) Lüscher |
Attendance: 5,000 Referee: Guinnard Gletterens |
| 6 December 1959 Round 11 | Chiasso | 2 – 1 | Basel | Stadio Via Comacini, Chiasso |
| Boldini 21' (1:0) Boffi 52' (2:0) |
Summary | 54' (2:1) Hügi (II) |
Attendance: 2,000 Referee: Domeniconi Geneva |
| 13 December 1959 Round 12 | Basel | 1 – 1 | Lugano | Landhof, Basel |
| 14:30 | Michaud 71' (1:1) |
Summary | 15' (0:1) Frosio |
Attendance: 3,800 Referee: Schwab Neuchâtel |
| 20 December 1959 Round 13 | Young Boys | 1 – 1 | Basel | Wankdorf Stadium, Bern |
| Meier 39' (1:0) |
Summary | 77' (1:1) Frigerio |
Attendance: 10,000 Referee: D. Mellet Lausanne |
| 21 February 1960 Round 9 | Bellinzona | 0 – 0 | Basel | Stadio Comunale, Bellinzona |
| Summary | Attendance: 3,000 Referee: D. Mellet Lausanne |
| 28 February 1960 Round 14 | Basel | 1 – 1 | Grenchen | Landhof, Basel |
| 14:30 | Hügi (II) 85' (1:1) |
Summary | 40' (0:1) Löffel |
Attendance: 5,000 Referee: M. Baumberger Lausanne |
| 6 March 1960 Round 15 | Biel-Bienne | 3 – 1 | Basel | Gurzelen Stadion, Biel/Bienne |
| Turin 6' (1:0) Hänzi 59' (2:0)Graf 70' (2:1) |
Summary | 68' (2:1) Weber |
Attendance: 6,000 Referee: Paul Wyssling Zürich |
| 13 March 1960 Round 16 | Basel | 1 – 1 | Grasshopper Club | Landhof, Basel |
| 15:00 | Michaud 4' (pen. 1:0) |
Summary | 9' (o.g. 1:1) |
Attendance: 7,000 Referee: F. Schorer Interlaken |
| 20 March 1960 Round 17 | Zürich | 2 – 3 | Basel | Letzigrund, Zürich |
| 15:00 | Pastega 42' (1:2) Wüthrich 50' (2:2) |
Summary | 14' (0:1) Frigerio 23' (0:2) Frigerio 52' (2:3) Frigerio |
Attendance: 6,000 Referee: Victor Werner Schicker Bern |
| 3 April 1960 Round 18 | Basel | 2 – 2 | Servette | Landhof, Basel |
| 15:00 | Hügi (II) 48' (1:1) Hügi (II) 78' (2:2) |
Summary | 7' (0:1) Pázmándy 76' (1:2) Pázmándy |
Attendance: 5,800 Referee: Schüttel Sion |
| 10 April 1960 Round 19 | Lausanne-Sport | 2 – 1 | Basel | Olympique de la Pontaise, Lausanne |
| 20:22 | Hertig 1' (1:0) Armbruster 89' (2:1) |
Summary | 20' (o.g. 1:1) Fesselet |
Attendance: 4,500 Referee: Burkhardt St. Gallen |
| 24 April 1960 Round 20 | Basel | 4 – 0 | La Chaux-de-Fonds | Landhof, Basel |
| 15:00 | Hügi (II) 47' (1:0) Hügi (II) 53' (2:0)Frigerio 55' (3:0)Frigerio 85' (4:0) |
Summary | Attendance: 8,000 Referee: Victor Werner Schicker Bern |
| 1 May 1960 Round 21 | Winterthur | 2 – 0 | Basel | Schützenwiese, Winterthur |
| Schmid 64' (1:0) Gantenbein 82' (2:0) |
Summary | Attendance: 6,000 Referee: W. Müller Baden |
| 15 May 1960 Round 22 | Basel | 3 – 1 | Bellinzona | Landhof, Basel |
| 15:00 | Frigerio 37' (1:0) Frigerio 80' (2:0)Hügi (II) 85' (3:0) |
Summary | 86' (3:1) Pellanda |
Attendance: 4,500 Referee: Paul Wyssling Zürich |
| 22 May 1960 Round 23 | Luzern | 6 – 1 | Basel | Stadion Allmend, Luzern |
| Wolfisberg 17' (1:0) Blättler 19' (2:0)Hahn 59' (pen. 3:1)Hahn 80' (4:1)Frey 81' (5:1)Beerli 84' (6:1) |
Summary | 27' (o.g. 2:1) Kunz |
Attendance: 5,000 Referee: Helbling Uznach |
| 29 May 1960 Round 24 | Basel | 3 – 0 | Chiasso | Landhof, Basel |
| 15:00 | Frigerio 48' (1:0) Michaud 83' (2:0)Hügi (II) 85' (3:0) |
Summary | Attendance: 6,500 Referee: Victor Werner Schicker Bern |
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Young Boys | 26 | 20 | 2 | 4 | 86 | 44 | +42 | 42 | Swiss Champions, qualified for 1960–61 European Cup |
| 2 | Biel-Bienne | 26 | 14 | 8 | 4 | 61 | 38 | +23 | 36 | |
| 3 | La Chaux-de-Fonds | 26 | 14 | 4 | 8 | 71 | 51 | +20 | 32 | |
| 4 | Zürich | 26 | 13 | 5 | 8 | 64 | 44 | +20 | 31 | |
| 5 | Luzern | 26 | 11 | 5 | 10 | 65 | 62 | +3 | 27 | Swiss Cup winners, qualified for 1960–61 Cup Winners' Cup |
| 6 | Winterthur | 26 | 12 | 3 | 11 | 40 | 40 | 0 | 27 | |
| 7 | Servette | 26 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 46 | 39 | +7 | 25 | |
| 8 | Grasshopper Club | 26 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 54 | 61 | −7 | 24 | |
| 9 | Chiasso | 26 | 8 | 7 | 11 | 39 | 57 | −18 | 23 | |
| 10 | Basel | 26 | 6 | 10 | 10 | 46 | 55 | −9 | 22 | |
| 11 | Grenchen | 26 | 8 | 5 | 13 | 51 | 48 | +3 | 21 | |
| 12 | Lausanne-Sport | 26 | 7 | 7 | 12 | 41 | 74 | −33 | 21 | |
| 13 | Lugano | 26 | 6 | 6 | 14 | 34 | 52 | −18 | 18 | Relegated |
| 14 | Bellinzona | 26 | 4 | 7 | 15 | 28 | 61 | −33 | 15 | Relegated |
Swiss Cup
| 1 November 1959 3rd principal round | SC Derendingen | 0 – 1 | Basel | Heidenegg, Derendingen |
| 15:30 | Summary | 21' (0:1) Stockbauer |
Attendance: 1,000 Referee: Surdez Delémont |
| 29 November 1959 Round 4 | Basel | 5 – 2 | FC Porrentruy | Landhof, Basel |
| Frigerio 1' (1:0) Hügi (II) 44' (2:0)Weber 59' (3:0)Hügi (II) 70' (4:1)Frigerio 86' (5:2) |
Summary | 69' (3:1) Froidevaux 82' (4:2) Brunner |
Attendance: 1,500 Referee: Staufer Renens |
| 27 December 1959 Round 5 | Basel | 1 – 1 (a.e.t.) | Young Boys | St. Jakob Stadium, Basel |
| 14:30 | Hügi (II) 71' (1:1) |
Summary | 8' (0:1) Meier |
Attendance: 12,000 Referee: Helbling Uznach |
| 7 February 1960 Round 5 replay | Young Boys | 5 – 3 | Basel | Wankdorf Stadium, Bern |
| 14:30 | Meier 1' (1:0) Wechselberger 58' (2:2)Wechselberger 663:2'Meier 80' (4:3)Wechselberger 88' (5:3) |
Summary | 14' (1:1) Weber 32' (1:2) Frigerio 79' (3:3) Hügi (II) |
Attendance: 7,500 Referee: Josef Gulde St. Gallen |
References
- Zindel, Josef (2015). Rotblau: Jahrbuch Saison 2015/2016. FC Basel Marketing AG. ISBN 978-3-7245-2050-4.
- Erik Garin. "Nationalliga A und B 1958/59". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 2019-11-16.
- Verein "Basler Fussballarchiv”. "Bilanz Saison 1959/60". Verein "Basler Fussballarchiv”. Retrieved 2019-11-16.
- Erik Garin. "Nationalliga A 1959/60". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 2019-11-16.
- Erik Garin. "Switzerland 1959/60". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 2019-11-16.
Sources
- Die ersten 125 Jahre. Publisher: Josef Zindel im Friedrich Reinhardt Verlag, Basel. ISBN 978-3-7245-2305-5
- The FCB team 1959–60 at fcb-archiv.ch
- Switzerland 1959–60 by Erik Garin at Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation