1997–98 FC Basel season
The 1997–98 Fussball Club Basel 1893 season was their 104th season since the club's foundation. René C. Jäggi was the club's chairman following the annual general meeting the year before. FC Basel played their home games in the St. Jakob Stadium. Following their promotion in the 1993–94 season this was their fourth consecutive season in the highest tier of Swiss football.
1997–98 season | |
---|---|
Chairman | |
Manager | Jörg Berger (until October 1997) Salvatore Andracchio (ad interim) Guy Mathez (from 1 January 1998) |
Ground | St. Jakob Stadium, Basel |
Nationalliga A | Qualifying Phase 11th |
Nationalliga A | Promotion/Relegation Group 3rd |
Swiss Cup | Round of 16 |
Top goalscorer | League: Mario Frick (14) All: Mario Frick (14) |
Highest home attendance | 36,500 vs Solothurn 24.05.1998 |
Lowest home attendance | 3,500 vs Xamax 22.11.1997 |
Average home league attendance | 10,100[1] |
Overview
Jörg Berger was appointed as the new trainer at the start of the season, but in October 1997 he was sacked and was replaced by Salvatore Andracchio (ad interim) until Guy Mathez was appointed as trainer from 1 January 1998. The club's priority aim was to remain in the top flight of Swiss football.
The club made many new signings as the season started. Amongst these, there were many experienced players, such as Oliver Kreuzer from Bayern Munich, Marco Sas from Bradford City, Maurizio Gaudino from Eintracht Frankfurt, Jürgen Hartmann from Hamburger SV and Nestor Subiat from Grasshopper Club. There were also young players such as Marco Pérez from Vaduz, Jan Berger from Grasshopper Club and Fabinho Santos from Joinville (Brazil) as well as Luís Calapes and Alexander Frei from the club's own youth section. Many players left the club, under them last season's top scorer Gaetano Giallanza who transferred to Nantes and Jean-Pierre La Placa who signed for Toulouse .
The season did not start the way that trainer Berger had hoped. Four of the first six games ended in a defeat, the team conceding 12 goals and scoring just three. Berger was put under pressure by the club's board of directors, but things did not improve. Following another six consecutive defeats Berger was sacked. He was replaced ad interim by Salvatore Andracchio, who had helped out the previous season, and the team managed to improve their results, but could not correct the slip into the Relegation Group.
During the winter break and the early part of the spring season the newly signed Nemtsoudis and Subiat left the club and the contract with Sas was dissolved. Under new trainer Mathez it seemed that the team was heading for relegation. A dramatic finish with three straight victories over the three better placed teams Young Boys, SC Kriens and finally Solothurn saved Basel from the relegation drop.
Players
The following is the list of the Basel first team squad. It also includes players that were in the squad the day the season started on 1 5 July 1997 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.
Results
Nationalliga A
Qualifying Phase
5 July 1997 Round 1 | Basel | Postponed | Aarau | St. Jakob Stadium, Basel |
9 July 1997 Round 2 | Lausanne-Sport | 3 – 0 | Basel | Olympique de la Pontaise, Lausanne |
19:30 | Piffaretti N'kufo Udovič |
Report | Attendance: 7,100 Referee: |
12 July 1997 Round 3 | Basel | 0 – 0 | Etoile Carouge | St. Jakob Stadium, Basel |
19:30 | Hartmann Ceccaroni Knup |
Report | Attendance: 12,000 Referee: |
19 July 1997 Round 4 | Basel | 1 – 3 | Servette | St. Jakob Stadium, Basel |
19:30 | Gaudino Zuffi Ceccaroni |
Summary | Attendance: 9,500 Referee: |
26 July 1997 Round 5 | Zürich | 0 – 0 | Basel | Letzigrund, Zürich |
19:30 | Tarone Tejeda Yekini |
Summary | Attendance: 15,500 Referee: |
2 August 1997 Round 6 | Basel | 1 – 3 | Sion | St. Jakob Stadium, Basel |
19:30 | Sas Giallanza Hartmann |
Summary | Attendance: 12,000 Referee: |
10 August 1997 Round 7 | Kriens | 3 – 1 | Basel | Stadion Kleinfeld, Kriens |
16:00 | Esposito Gross Schwizer Erni |
Summary | Attendance: 4,100 Referee: |
15 August 1997 Round 1 | Basel | 2 – 1 | Aarau | St. Jakob Stadium, Basel |
19:30 | Ceccaroni Gaudino Giallanza Frick Kreuzer |
Summary | Attendance: 9,500 Referee: |
23 August 1997 Round 8 | Basel | 3 – 2 | St. Gallen | St. Jakob Stadium, Basel |
19:30 | Zuffi Dobrovoljski Frick Kreuzer Salvi |
Summary | Attendance: 12,000 Referee: |
30 August 1997 Round 9 | Xamax | 3 – 0 | Basel | Stade de la Maladière (1924), Neuchâtel |
19:30 | Martin Leśniak Martinović Kunz |
Attendance: 8,100 Referee: |
2 September 1997 Round 10 | Basel | 3 – 4 | Luzern | St. Jakob Stadium, Basel |
19:30 | Frick Gaudino Giallanza |
Summary | Attendance: 10,000 Referee: |
13 September 1997 Round 11 | Grasshopper Club | 3 – 2 | Basel | Hardturm, Zürich |
19:30 | Subiat Esposito Gren Kavelashvili |
Summary | Attendance: 9,150 Referee: |
24 September 1997 Round 12 | Aarau | 1 – 0 | Basel | Stadion Brügglifeld, Aarau |
19:30 | Roembiak Kilian Ćirić |
Attendance: 5,600 Referee: |
28 September 1997 Round 13 | Basel | 0 – 1 | Lausanne-Sport | St. Jakob Stadium, Basel |
14:30 | Summary | Attendance: 7,500 Referee: |
5 October 1997 Round 14 | Etoile Carouge | 2 – 1 | Basel | Stade de la Fontenette, Carouge |
16:00 | Aguilar Hertig |
Summary | Attendance: 1,775 Referee: |
19 October 1997 Round 15 | Basel | 3 – 3 | Zürich | St. Jakob Stadium, Basel |
14:30 | Kreuzer Hartmann Zuffi Subiat |
Summary | Attendance: 9,500 Referee: |
26 October 1997 Round 16 | Servette | 0 – 0 | Basel | Charmilles Stadium, Geneva |
14:30 | Rey Durix Potocianu Sesa |
Attendance: 3,500 Referee: |
2 November 1997 Round 17 | Sion | 2 – 2 | Basel | Stade Tourbillon, Sion |
14:30 | Seoane Milton |
Summary | Attendance: 9,500 Referee: |
8 November 1997 Round 18 | Basel | 4 – 1 | Kriens | St. Jakob Stadium, Basel |
17:30 | Mendi Kreuzer Frick Subiat |
Summary | Attendance: 4,500 Referee: |
19 November 1997 Round 19 | St. Gallen | 3 – 1 | Basel | Espenmoos, St. Gallen |
19:30 | Slavtchev Regtop Dal Santo Vurens |
Summary | Attendance: 8,500 Referee: |
22 November 1997 Round 20 | Basel | 1 – 4 | Xamax | St. Jakob Stadium, Basel |
17:30 | Henry Dobrovoljski Pérez |
Summary | Attendance: 3,500 Referee: |
30 November 1997 Round 21 | Basel | 1 – 0 | Grasshopper Club | St. Jakob Stadium, Basel |
14:30 | Frick Subiat |
Summary | Attendance: 6,000 Referee: |
League table
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
8 | FC Lucerne | 22 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 26 | 28 | −2 | 29 |
9 | Neuchâtel Xamax | 22 | 7 | 5 | 10 | 37 | 39 | −2 | 26 |
10 | SC Kriens | 22 | 5 | 7 | 10 | 23 | 41 | −18 | 22 |
11 | FC Basel | 22 | 5 | 4 | 13 | 28 | 46 | −18 | 19 |
12 | Étoile Carouge FC | 22 | 1 | 6 | 15 | 20 | 63 | −43 | 9 |
Promotion/Relegation Group
1 March 1998 Round 1 | Solothurn | 2 – 3 | Basel | Stadion FC Solothurn, Solothurn |
14:30 | Plaschy Edward Bürgisser Fluri |
Summary | Attendance: 6,750 Referee: |
7 March 1998 Round 2 | Basel | 4 – 2 | Kriens | St. Jakob Stadium, Basel |
17:30 | Henry Kreuzer Frick Knup |
Summary | Attendance: 7,800 Referee: |
15 March 1998 Round 3 | Young Boys | 2 – 2 | Basel | Wankdorf Stadium, Bern |
14:30 | Lengen Smajić Ivanov |
Summary | Referee: |
21 March 1998 Round 4 | Basel | 3 – 6 | Xamax | St. Jakob Stadium, Basel |
17:30 | Gaudino Pérez Knup Mendi |
Summary | Attendance: 10,500 Referee: |
29 March 1998 Round 5 | Lugano | 0 – 0 | Basel | Cornaredo, Lugano |
14:30 | Fernandez Wegmann Lendvai Giannini Anderson |
Summary | Attendance: 3,900 Referee: |
4 April 1998 Round 6 | Basel | 3 – 1 | Etoile Carouge | St. Jakob Stadium, Basel |
17:30 | Gaudino Barberis Kondé Orlando |
Summary | Attendance: 6,500 Referee: |
8 April 1998 Round 7 | Baden | 3 – 1 | Basel | Esp Stadium, Fislisbach |
19:30 | Dnibi Casamento Lüthi |
Summary | Attendance: 3,450 Referee: |
19 April 1998 Round 8 | Basel | 0 – 0 | Baden | St. Jakob Stadium, Basel |
19:30 | Gaudino Calapes |
Summary | Attendance: 6,000 Referee: |
25 April 1998 Round 9 | Etoile Carouge | 2 – 0 | Basel | Stade de la Fontenette, Carouge |
17:30 | Elmira Croci Djorkaeff Rothenbühler |
Summary | Attendance: 1,180 Referee: |
29 April 1998 Round 10 | Basel | 0 – 0 | Lugano | St. Jakob Stadium, Basel |
19:30 | Ceccaroni |
Summary | Attendance: 6,000 Referee: |
2 May 1998 Round 11 | Xamax | 2 – 1 | Basel | Stade de la Maladière (1924), Neuchâtel |
19:30 | Wittl Martinović Maslow Delay |
Summary | Attendance: 6,500 Referee: |
9 May 1998 Round 12 | Basel | 4 – 1 | Young Boys | St. Jakob Stadium, Basel |
19:30 | Frick Pěchouček Kreuzer Knup Gaudino Kondé |
Summary | Attendance: 13,000 Referee: |
League table
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Neuchâtel Xamax | 14 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 35 | 22 | +13 | 26 |
2 | AC Lugano (P) | 14 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 15 | 12 | +3 | 23 |
3 | FC Basel | 14 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 27 | 22 | +5 | 22 |
4 | BSC Young Boys (P) | 14 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 20 | 23 | −3 | 22 |
5 | FC Solothurn | 14 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 17 | 15 | +2 | 21 |
Swiss Cup
15 November 1997 Round of 32 | SC Buochs | 2 – 7 (a.e.t.) | Basel | Stadion Seefeld, Buochs |
16:00 | Cavallucci Meier Bieri Von Flüe Barmettler |
Summary | Attendance: 2,500 Referee: |
21 February 1998 Round of 16 | Xamax | 2 – 0 | Basel | Stade de la Maladière (1924), Neuchâtel |
18:15 | Wittl Jeanneret Martinović Halili Hamann |
Summary | Attendance: 3,900 Referee: |
Sources and references
- Rotblau: Jahrbuch Saison 2015/2016. Publisher: FC Basel Marketing AG. ISBN 978-3-7245-2050-4
- Rotblau: Jahrbuch Saison 2017/2018. Publisher: FC Basel Marketing AG. ISBN 978-3-7245-2189-1
- 1997–98 at Joggeli.ch
- 1997–98 at RSSSF
- Stefan Peter. "Überregionale Meisterschaften, Schweizer und Basler Cup". Retrieved 2017-11-16.