FC Gossau

FC Gossau
Full name Fussballclub Gossau
Founded 1906
Ground Sportanlage Buechenwald
Gossau SG
Ground Capacity 3,500
Chairman Roland Gnägi
Manager Alex Kern
League 1. Liga Classic
2013–14 1. Liga Classic, 5th

FC Gossau is a Swiss football club from the city of Gossau in the canton of St. Gallen. The club currently plays in the Challenge League, the second-highest level of Swiss football.

History

After its foundation in 1906, FC Gossau spent the first 65 years of its history in almost entire unimportance. This changed in 1971 when they advanced for the first time to the 1. Liga (third level) by a 3–0 victory against FC Widnau. Between 1975 and 1978, they even managed to reach the promotion to the second level (NLB). Changeful years followed, the Club played mostly in the 1. or 2. Liga.

After another relegation to the 2. Liga in 1987, Roger Heri composed a new team and induced the "second bloom" of the FC Gossau in the nineties. In 1992, they achieved the promotion to the 1. Liga, after victories against FC Solothurn and FC Monthey they even got to the second level in 1993. Despite of the fact that there were seven clubs which had to relegate, they managed to remain in the NLB because they defeated FC Chiasso in the play-offs. However, in the following season they failed to avoid the relegation. Under the management of Heinz Bigler, the team defeated Ascona and AC Bellinzona in the play-offs and made it to reascend to NLB.

However, the last second level membership of FC Gossau so far (season 1996/97) lasted merely one season. While heading the table after the fifth matchday, the team afterwards fell back to the last place but one until winter break. Neither a change of manager nor the engagement of several new players caused the looked-for staying in the league. Thereafter, FC Gossau played with changing successes in the 1. Liga until 2006/2007 when they managed to reach the promotion again.

The club hit the headlines when they defeated the favourite FC St. Gallen in the Swiss Cup by 2–0 in 2007.

According to rumors, the club faces allegations to be involved in match-fixing during season 2008/09.[1] Sources believe that a former goalkeeper and a defender, still member of the squad, were bribed by a betting gang.[2] and released on 23 November 2009 Mario Bigoni in the course of the 2009 European football betting scandal.[3]

In May 2010, former players Marc Lütolf, Mario Bigoni, Darko Damjanović were given open-ended suspensions.[4]

Former coaches

Current squad

As of 23 July 2016


Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
1 Switzerland GK Daniel Geisser
2 Ivory Coast MF Jacques Konan
3 Italy FW Enzo Todisco
5 Switzerland DF Dusan Ranisavljevic
6 Switzerland MF Daniel Bruggmann
7 Switzerland MF Marco Hämmerli
8 Switzerland MF Florian Steiger
9 Switzerland FW Getuart Asani
10 Switzerland MF Thomas Knöpfel
11 Switzerland DF Rick Gelmi
12 Bulgaria FW Antonio Mihaylov
No. Position Player
13 Switzerland MF Anouer Ben Belgacem
14 Netherlands DF Sebastiaan van der Werff
15 Switzerland MF Raphael Stieger
16 Switzerland MF Jeffrey Rutz
17 Republic of Macedonia MF Faton Ziberi
18 Switzerland MF Yannick Schmid
19 Italy FW Andrea Lo Re
20 Switzerland DF Yannik Grin
21 Italy MF Marvin Meresi
23 Italy GK Raffaele Vignacastrisi
24 Switzerland DF Pascal Alder

References

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