FC Luzern
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Full name |
Fussball-Club Luzern |
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Nickname(s) |
Die Leuchten (The Shiners) |
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Founded |
12 August 1901; 112 years ago |
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Ground |
Swissporarena |
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Ground Capacity |
17,000 |
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Chairman |
Rudolf Stäger |
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Manager |
Carlos Bernegger |
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League |
Super Leage |
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2012–13 |
Super League, 8th |
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Website |
Club home page |
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Fussball-Club Luzern, commonly known as FC Luzern or simply abbreviated to FCL, is a Swiss football club based in Lucerne. The club colours are blue and white, derived from the City of Lucerne and Canton of Lucerne coats of arms. They play their home games at Swissporarena which was newly built in 2011 at the place of the old Stadion Allmend.
The club was founded in 1901 and has won the Swiss Super League once and the Swiss Cup twice.
History
FC Luzern was officially founded on 12 August 1901 in Lucerne. After two years, FCL joined the Swiss Football League and started its first championship season in the third division. In the following years, FC Luzern was playing in various leagues. After the introduction of a new league system in 1944 (consisting of Nationalliga A and Nationalliga B as the two top tiers) FCL was alloted into Nationalliga B. The club remained in the second division until it was promoted in 1953. In the following years, FCL mainly played in the Nationalliga A. In 2003, after several seasons with financial and sporting troubles, the club got relegated to the renamed Challenge League, the former Nationalliga B. In 2006, after three seasons in the second division, FC Luzern celebrated its return into the top division (Super League) of Swiss football. In 2012 the club finished second in the Super League, securing its best league finish in 23 years.
FC Luzern's greatest success was winning the Swiss Championship in 1989. FCL have also won the Swiss Cup twice (1960 and 1992) and finished runners-up four times (1997, 2005, 2007, 2012).
Fans and rivalries
Although the club has only won three important national trophies, FC Luzern is one of the traditional football clubs in the country with a strong local supporter base. In the 2011/12 season, FCL had the third highest average attendance in the Swiss Super League.[1]
There are a number of rivalries between FCL and other teams, especially between their Ultras groups. The local derby is played with SC Kriens, whose stadium is located less than one kilometer from FCL's facilities at Allmend. Due to the reduction of the Swiss football league in the past years, the two clubs are now separated by two leagues. Because of this fact, the rivalry is not as big anymore as during the periods in the 1990s or after the year 2003, when both clubs were playing in the same league.
A majority of the fans view FC St. Gallen, FC Sion and Grasshopper Club Zürich as big rivals. Numerous incidents and fan fights occurred around games between FC Luzern and these teams in the last decade.[2][3][4]
Stadium
Between 1934 and 2009, FCL played their home games at the Stadion Allmend,[5] which had a theoretical capacity of 25,000. For security reasons however, the Swiss Football Association did not allow more than 13,000 to attend. Until a new stadium was completed, FC Luzern temporarily played their home games in the Gersag Stadion located in Emmenbrücke.
In August 2011, the club moved into the newly built Swissporarena which is located at the place of the old ground. The opening game ended with a 0-0 draw against FC Thun.[6]
Honours
European appearances
Recent seasons
Season |
League |
League Position |
Remarks |
2001/02 |
Nationalliga A |
7th (Relegation Pool) |
Luzern theoretically would have been relegated. Due to financial problems, three teams in the top league were not given the playing licence by the Swiss FA. Thus, Luzern miraculously was not relegated. |
2002/03 |
Nationalliga A |
3rd (Relegation Pool) |
Due to a league reform, only the top 2 teams stayed in the Super League. Luzern was relegated to the Challenge League. |
2003/04 |
Challenge League |
10th |
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2004/05 |
Challenge League |
5th |
Swiss Cup: Lost final 3-1 to FC Zürich. |
2005/06 |
Challenge League |
1st |
Promoted to Swiss Super League. |
2006/07 |
Super League |
8th |
Swiss Cup: Lost final 1–0 to FC Basel. |
2007/08 |
Super League |
6th |
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2008/09 |
Super League |
9th |
Avoided relegation by beating FC Lugano 5 – 1 on aggregate in the relegation play offs. |
2009/10 |
Super League |
4th |
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2010/11 |
Super League |
6th |
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2011/12 |
Super League |
2nd |
Swiss Cup: Lost final 4–2 on penalties to FC Basel. |
2012/13 |
Super League |
8th |
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Players
- As of 4 January 2014.[8]
First-team squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Former notable players
- See also Category:FC Luzern players.
Head coaches
- See also Category:FC Luzern managers.
- Dionys Schönecker (1921–24)
- Franz Konya (July 1927–Dec 29)
- Otto Hamacek (Feb 1929–June 29)
- Albert Halter & Albert Mühleisen (1929)
- Dragan Nemes (1930–Sept 31)
- Horace Williams (Oct 1931–33)
- Josef Gerspach (1933–34)
- Carlos Heinlein (1934–Nov 35)
- Adolf Vögeli (Nov 1935–37)
- Josef Uridil (1937–38)
- Robert Lang (1938)
- Erwin Moser (1938–39)
- Wilhelm Szigmond (1939)
- Josef Winkler (May 1942–45)
- Gerhard Walter (Feb 1945–May 46)
- Werner Schaer (1946–49)
- Fritz Hack (1949–51)
- Hermann Stennull (1951–55)
- Rudi Gutendorf (1955–Aug 61)
- Josef Brun & Josef Weber (Sept 1961–62)
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- Kurt Müller (March 1997–Oct 97)
- Martin Müller (Nov 1997–Sept 98)
- Egon Coordes (Sept 27, 1998–Nov 1, 1998)
- André Meyer (Nov 1998–Dec 98)
- Andy Egli (Jan 1, 1999–June 30, 2001)
- Ryszard Komornicki (July 1, 2001 – July 28, 2001)
- Raimondo Ponte (Aug 3, 2001–June 30, 2002)
- Bidu Zaugg (July 1, 2002 – June 30, 2003)
- Urs Schönenberger (July 1, 2003–Nov 1, 2003)
- René van Eck (July 1, 2003 – June 30, 2006)
- Friedel Rausch (2004–06)
- Ciriaco Sforza (July 1, 2006–Aug 10, 2008)
- Jean-Daniel Gross (interim) (Aug 11, 2008–Aug 17, 2008)
- Roberto Morinini (Aug 17, 2008–Oct 27, 2008)
- Rolf Fringer (Oct 27, 2008–May 2, 2011)
- Christian Brand (interim) (May 2, 2011 – June 30, 2011)
- Murat Yakin (July 1, 2011–Aug 19, 2012)
- Ryszard Komornicki (Aug 20, 2012–April 2, 2013)
- Gerardo Seoane (interim) (April 4, 2013 – April 8, 2013)
- Carlos Bernegger (April 8, 2013–)
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References
External links
Seasons of Swiss Football League |
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Serie A era, 1897–1931 | | Seasons | |
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Nationalliga era, 1931–1944 | | Seasons | |
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Nationalliga A era, 1944–2003 | | Seasons | |
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Super League era, 2003–present | | Seasons | |
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| Playing in the round of 32 | |
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| Eliminated in the group stage | |
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| Eliminated in the play-off round | |
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| Eliminated in the third qualifying round | |
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| Eliminated in the second qualifying round | |
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| Eliminated in the first qualifying round | |
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