Association football team in Switzerland
Football club
Football Club Sion, commonly known as simply FC or Sion, is a Swiss football team🍇 from the city of Sion. The club was founded in 1909 and play their home matches at the Stade Tourbillon.🍇 They have won the Swiss Super League and the Swiss Cup in 13 of their 14 appearances in the final,🍇 the most recent being in 2024. The first team of the club was also known as their incorporated name Olympique🍇 des Alpes SA. The club currently play in the Challenge League, the second tier of Swiss football.
History [ edit ]
Chart🍇 of FC Sion table positions in the Swiss football league system
FC Sion were founded in 1909 by Robert Gilliard, who🍇 became club captain, and played their first match the same year, a 3–2 win against FC Aigle.[1] The club grew🍇 thanks to contributions from locals, and played their first competitive league fixture in 1914, again a 3–2 victory, against FC🍇 Monthey. In 1919, Sion formally organised its managerial structure, with Gilliard becoming vice-president and Charles Aymon taking the presidency.[1]
From 1932,🍇 Sion played in the fourth tier of Swiss football, where they spent much of the next 20 years, briefly interrupted🍇 by promotion to the third tier in 1944, quickly followed by relegation in 1946. In 1952, Sion returned to the🍇 third tier. Five years later, Sion gained promotion again to the National League B, followed five years later by promotion🍇 to the National League A (now the Swiss Super League) in 1962.[1] 1965 saw the first of Sion's Swiss Cup🍇 wins following a 2–1 victory over Servette.
The 16,263 capacity Stade Tourbillon was officially opened in August 1968, but the club🍇 was relegated in 1969. Sion returned to the National League A at the first attempt and secured a second victory🍇 in the Swiss Cup, winning 3–2 against Neuchâtel Xamax in 1974. Sion would go on to consistently perform well in🍇 the Swiss Cup, with victories in 1980 (against Young Boys), 1982 (against Basel), 1986 (against Servette) and 1991 (against Young🍇 Boys).[1] This period of success also saw the renovation and expansion of the Tourbillon in 1989, and was crowned with🍇 Sion's first Swiss League Championship in 1992.
More success in the Swiss Cup followed, winning the tournament in three consecutive years🍇 from 1995 with victories over Grasshopper, Servette and Luzern. Their win against Luzern in 1997 secured Sion their only domestic🍇 double, having also won the Swiss League.[1]
However, the club quickly fell into financial trouble, and having narrowly avoided bankruptcy due🍇 to its purchase by Gilbert Kadji, the club suffered relegation in 1999. Despite returning to the top division the following🍇 season, financial problems plagued the team, culminating in relegation in 2001, the departure of Kadji and a denial of a🍇 professional license in 2003. The club was saved by architect and former footballer Christian Constantin, and they were re-instated into🍇 the second division in October 2003.
Constantin spent the following seasons rebuilding the club, with the club going through 20 managers🍇 in the following eight years, including taking the role himself twice, in a bid to financially stabilize.[2] In 2006, He🍇 was rewarded with promotion back to the Super League, as well as a victory in the Swiss Cup,[3] becoming the🍇 first second-tier team to achieve this, with a 5–3 penalty shoot-out victory over Young Boys after a 1–1 draw.
Transfer ban🍇 saga [ edit ]
In 2008, controversy came to Sion when they signed Essam El Hadary, leading to a two-year "registration🍇 period" ban for Sion from June 2009, and an international playing ban for El Hadary for four months,[4][5] due to🍇 El-Hadary still being under contract at his former club Al Ahly.[6] Sion appealed this action, but the Federal Supreme Court🍇 of Switzerland confirmed the FIFA, DRC and Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) decisions in 2009 and 2010 respectively.[7] However,🍇 the lengthy legal battle (including the temporary reprieve) meant the ban was only practically instituted beginning in the winter transfer🍇 window of the 2010–11 season.[8]
Although gaining a place in the qualifying round of the 2011–12 UEFA Europa League by winning🍇 the previous season's Swiss Cup, Sion were excluded from the Europa League by UEFA after fielding ineligible players in their🍇 play-off victory against Celtic.[9] On 2 September, the Swiss Football League (SFL) rejected the registration of one more player, Brian🍇 Amofa.[10]
On 30 September 2011, the SFL decided to provisionally qualify the six new signings, namely Stefan Glarner, Billy Ketkeophomphone, Mario🍇 Mutsch, Pascal Feindouno, José Gonçalves and Gabri, to comply with the ongoing legal process.[11] Sion also sued the SFL and🍇 UEFA respectively in the Tribunal Cantonal de Valais and the Tribunal in Vaud, however both actions were dismissed.[12][13] The club's🍇 earlier appeal was dismissed by UEFA Appeals Body on 13 September.[14] Sion also sued the SFL and UEFA in the🍇 CAS, but withdrew the former claim. The hearing of the latter claim was set on 24 November.[15]
On 25 October, the🍇 Discipline Commission (fr: Commission de discipline) of SFL suspended all six players for five matches.[16] It was reported that each🍇 player filed their legal claim in civil court instead of using the Swiss FA and CAS "sports court" system, which🍇 the ban was requested by FIFA.[citation needed] On 27 October, as a "provisional and super-provisional measures",[17] UEFA invited Sion to🍇 a match schedule consultation once UEFA lost the legal battle.[18]
On 31 October 2011, Sion sent a complaint to the European🍇 Commission.[19] FIFA also won the legal battle in civil court in November. Previously, the civil court of Martigny and Saint-Maurice🍇 (both of the city of Valais) ordered FIFA to confirm the signing of those six players on 3 August, a🍇 consequence of lawsuit brought out by the players. On 16 November, FIFA and the SFL appeal was upheld in the🍇 Valais canton court.[20]
On 15 December, the CAS upheld the complaints by UEFA, affirming its right to discipline Sion according to🍇 previous agreements. The CAS also lifted the provisional measures ordered by the Tribunal Cantonal of Vaud (Cour civile) on 5🍇 October 2011.[21] After the ruling, FIFA threatened to suspend Swiss national and club teams from international competition if Sion were🍇 not appropriately penalized for its ostensible rules violations.[22] In late December 2011, the Swiss Football Association complied with FIFA's demands🍇 and penalized Sion 36 standings points (based on how many matches ineligible players were involved), moving the club to last🍇 place in the league standings and putting the club at risk of relegation if the ruling stood.[23]
Sion finished the 2011–12🍇 season in ninth place, which qualified them to the relegation matches against Aarau, whom they defeated 2–1 on aggregate to🍇 stay in the Swiss Super League. Without suffering their 36-point deduction Sion would have finished in the third place, which🍇 would have qualified them into the 2012–13 UEFA Europa League. Prior to the start of the 2012–13 season, they made🍇 a major coup by signing Gennaro Gattuso and Kyle Lafferty, both via free transfers. However, the club had a disappointing🍇 season which saw them change coaches three times before settling on Gattuso to finish the season, ending in third place.
Honours🍇 [ edit ]
Sion held the distinction of having never lost a domestic cup final, with 13 wins in 13 appearances🍇 in the Swiss Cup, until a defeat by Basel in the 2024 edition.[24]
Stadium [ edit ]
Sion play their home matches🍇 at the multi-purpose Stade Tourbillon, which has a capacity of 14,500. It was originally constructed in 1968, and was renovated🍇 in 1989 and 2012. The club also has a training centre near its office in Martigny and a youth development🍇 center in nearby Riddes.
Players [ edit ]
For a list of all former and current FC Sion players with a Wikipedia🍇 article, see Category:FC Sion players
Current squad [ edit ]
As of 7 September 2024[26]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under🍇 FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Out on loan [ edit ]
Note: Flags indicate national team🍇 as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Former players [ edit ]
Club officials [🍇 edit ]
As of 15 June 2024
Historical list of coaches [ edit ]
European record [ edit ]
Notes
Note 1: Celtic lodged protests🍇 over the eligibility of a number of the Sion players who participated in the two legs of the play-off round,🍇 which Sion won 3–1 aggregate (first leg: 0–0; second leg: 3–1). The UEFA Control and Disciplinary Body accepted the protests🍇 and decided to award both matches to Celtic by forfeit (3–0). As a consequence, Celtic qualified for the UEFA Europa🍇 League group stage.[27]
