Club: | FC Basel |
Season: | 1940–41 |
Chairman: | Albert Besse |
Mgrtitle: | First team coach |
Manager: | Eugen Rupf |
Stdtitle: | Ground |
Stadium: | Landhof, Basel |
League: | 1. Liga |
League Result: | 1st |
League2: | Play-off |
League2 Result: | 3rd |
Cup1: | Swiss Cup |
Cup1 Result: | Round 4 |
League Topscorer: | August Ibach (15) |
Season Topscorer: | August Ibach (15) |
Highest Attendance: | 3,000 on 24 November 1940 vs Aarau |
Lowest Attendance: | 800 on 22 December 1940 vs Fribourg |
Average Attendance: | 2,042 |
Prevseason: | 1939–40 |
The FC Basel 1940–41 season was the forty-eighth season since the club's foundation on 15 November 1893. FC Basel played their home games in the Landhof in the district Wettstein in Kleinbasel. Albert Besse was the club's chairman for the second consecutive season.
Former Swiss international Eugen Rupf was appointed as manager. Basel played 27 matches in this season. 14 of these matches were in the 1. Liga, two in the play-offs, four in the Swiss Cup and seven were friendly matches. Of these friendlies three were played at home in the Landhof, four were away games. Five friendly games were won and two ended in a defeat.
Despite having been 1. Liga champions the previous season, Basel played this season in the 1. Liga as well because there had been no promotion to the top tier of Swiss football due to World War II. This season, however, two promotions were planned. 24 teams competed in the 1.Liga, which was divided into three regional groups. Basel were allocated to the Central Group, together with local rivals Concordia Basel and FC Birsfelden. The further teams in this group were Aarau, FC Bern, US Bienne-Boujean and Fribourg. Basel and Aarau dominated their group, both teams winning 11 of their 14 group games. Basel suffered one sole defeat, and that against Aarau, but won the group with 24 points, one point above them, because they had been defeated twice. But in the promotion play-offs Basel were defeated by Cantonal Neuchâtel and drew the game with Zürich. Their two play-off opponents were thus promoted and Basel remained for another season in the 1 Liga.[1]
Basel joined the Swiss Cup in the 2nd principal round and were drawn at home to and beat Old Boys 4 – 3. In round three Basel beat lower tier FC Allschwil and were drawn against higher tier Nordstern Basel in round four. After a 3 – 3 draw, Basel were knocked out when they lost the replay.[2]
The following is the list of the Basel first team squad during the season 1940–41. The list includes players that were in the squad the day the season started on 1 September 1940 but subsequently left the club after that date.
See main article: 1940–41 Nationalliga.