1966–67 Nationalliga A Explained

Season:1966–67
Competition:Nationalliga A
Winners:Basel
Relegated:Winterthur
FC Moutier
League Topscorer:Rolf Blättler (Grasshopper Club)
and Fritz Künzli (Zürich)
both 28 goals
Prevseason:1965–66
Nextseason:1967–68
Season:1966–67
Competition:Nationalliga B
Winners:Luzern
Promoted:Luzern
Bellinzona
Relegated:FC Le Locle
Blue Stars
League Topscorer:Heinz Bertschi (Luzern)
22 goals
Prevseason:1965–66
Nextseason:1967–68

The following is the summary of the Swiss National League in the 1966–67 football season, both Nationalliga A and Nationalliga B. This was the 71st season of top-tier and the 70th season of second-tier football in Switzerland.

Overview

The Swiss Football Association (ASF/SFV) had 28 member clubs at this time and these were devided into two divisions of 14 teams each. The teams played a double round-robin to decide their table positions. Two points were awarded for a win and one point was awarded for a draw. The top tier (NLA) was contested by the top 12 teams from the previous 1965–66 season and the two newly promoted teams Winterthur and FC Moutier. The champions would qualify for the 1967–68 European Cup and the last two teams in the league table at the end of the season were to be relegated.

The second-tier (NLB) was contested by the two teams that had been relegated from the NLA, FC Luzern and Urania Genève Sport, the ten teams that had been in third to twelfth position last season and the two newly promoted teams FC Wettingen and FC Xamax.[1] The top two teams at the end of the season would be promoted to the 1967–68 NLA and the two last placed teams would be relegated to the 1967–68 Swiss 1. Liga.[2]

The Swiss champions received a slot in the 1967–68 European Cup and the Cup winners a slot in the 1967–68 Cup Winners' Cup. Basel won the championship and also won the Swiss Cup. In the Cup final Basel's opponents were Lausanne-Sports. In the former Wankdorf Stadium on 15 May 1967, Helmut Hauser scored the decisive goal via penalty. The game went down in football history due to the sit-down strike that followed this goal. After 88 minutes of play, with the score at 1–1, referee Karl Göppel awarded Basel a controversial penalty. André Grobéty had pushed Hauser gently in the back and he let himself drop theatrically. Subsequent to the 2–1 for Basel the Lausanne players refused to resume the game and they sat down demonstratively on the pitch. The referee had to abandon the match. Basel were awarded the cup with a 3–0 forfait.[3] [4] Basel won the double for the first time in the club's history.[2] Basel participated in the European Cup in the following season and the slot in the Cup Winner's Cup was past on to Lausanne as losing finalist.

Nationalliga A

The first round of the NLA was played on 20 August 1966. After playing 14 rounds, from 4 December until 3 March 1967 as the 15th round was held, there was a winter break. Four games from the first half of the season had been delayed and these were played at the end of February. The season had 26 rounds and was completed on 11 June 1967.

Teams, locations

TeamBased inStadiumCapacity
FC BaselBaselSt. Jakob Stadium
FC Biel-BienneBiel/BienneStadion Gurzelen
Grasshopper Club ZürichZürichHardturm
FC GrenchenGrenchenStadium Brühl
FC La Chaux-de-FondsLa Chaux-de-Fonds
FC Lausanne-SportLausannePontaise
FC LuganoLuganoCornaredo Stadium
FC Moutier[5] MoutierStade de Chalière
Servette FCGenevaStade des Charmilles
FC SionSionStade de Tourbillon
FC WinterthurWinterthurSchützenwiese
BSC Young BoysBernWankdorf Stadium
FC Young Fellows ZürichZürichUtogrund
FC ZürichZürichLetzigrund

Final league table

Relegation play-out

Because two teams ended the season level on points in joint twelfth position a decider against relegation was required. This was played on 14 June 1967 at Wankdorf Stadium in Bern. La Chaux-de-Fonds won and remained in the top tier. Winterthur were relegated to 1967–68 Nationalliga B.

Nationalliga B

Teams, locations

TeamBased inStadiumCapacity
FC AarauAarauStadion Brügglifeld
FC BadenBadenEsp Stadium
AC BellinzonaBellinzonaStadio Comunale Bellinzona
FC Blue Stars Zürich[6] ZürichHardhof
SC BrühlSt. GallenPaul-Grüninger-Stadion
FC ChiassoChiassoStadio Comunale Riva IV
FC Le Locle[7] Le LocleInstallation sportive - Jeanneret
FC LuzernLucerneStadion Allmend
FC SolothurnSolothurnStadion FC Solothurn
FC St. GallenSt. GallenEspenmoos
FC ThunThunStadion Lachen
Urania Genève SportGenèveStade de Frontenex
FC WettingenWettingenStadion Altenburg
FC XamaxNeuchâtelStade de la Maladière

Final league table

Further in Swiss football

Sources

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Erste Liga (SFV) . 2018 . Statistik der Ersten Liga über Aufstieg und Abstieg ab Saison 1931/32 bis 2018 . PDF page 6 . First League statistics on promotion and relegation from the 1931/32 season to 2018 . Erste Liga, Abteilung des SFV . de . 2024-11-16.
  2. Web site: Erik . Garin . 2018 . Switzerland 1966/67 . Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation . 2024-11-16.
  3. Web site: Schmid . Andreas W. . 2010 . "Ein klarer Penalty!" "Nein, eine klare Schwalbe!" . Basler Zeitung . 2010-11-16. de.
  4. Web site: dsc . 2010 . Der legendäre Sitzstreik im Final 1967 . sport.sf.tv . 2010-11-16 . de . 2010-05-11 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100511180529/http://www.sport.sf.tv/Nachrichten/Archiv/2010/05/07/Fussball/Der-legendaere-Sitzstreik-im-Final-1967 . dead .
  5. Web site: (red) Fussballverband Bern/Jura. 2024 . FC Moutier . Fussballverband Bern/Jura - fvbj-afbj.ch . de . 2024-11-16.
  6. Web site: (red) Fussballverband Region Zürich . 2024 . FC Blue Stars Zürich . Fussballverband Region Zürich . de . 2024-11-16.
  7. Web site: (red) Association neuchâteloise de football . 2024 . FC Le Locle . Association neuchâteloise de football - anf.football.ch . fr . 2024-11-16.