FC Sion

FC Sion

Full name	FC Sion
Founded	1909
Ground	Stade Tourbillon, Sion (Capacity: 20,187)
Chairman	Christian Constantin
Manager	Laurent Roussey
League	Swiss Super League
2010–11	Swiss Super League, 4th
Home colours Away colours
Current season

FC Sion is a Swiss football team from the city of Sion. The club was founded in 1909, and play their home games at the Stade Tourbillon. They have won the Swiss Super League twice, and the Swiss Cup in each of their twelve appearances in the final, the most recent being in 2011.

The first team also known as Olympique des Alpes SA, as Swiss Football League (the top two levels) requires football clubs to be run as a company.

History

FC Sion were founded in 1909 by Robert Gilliard, who became club captain, and played their first game, a 3-2 win against FC Aigle, the same year. The club grew thanks to contributions from local people, and played their first competitive league fixture in 1914, again a 3-2 victory, this time against FC Monthey. In 1919 Sion formally organised its managerial structure, with Gilliard becoming Vice President, and Charles Aymon taking Presidency.

From 1932 Sion played in the fourth tier of Swiss football, where they spent much of the next twenty years, briefely interrupted by promotion to the third tier in 1944, quickly followed by relegation in 1946. In 1952 Sion returned to the third tier, and five years later 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. 1965 saw the first of FC Sion's Swiss Cup wins, with a 2-1 victory over Servette FC.

The 16,263 capacity Stade Tourbillon was officially opened in August 1968, but was followed by relegation 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 (vs Young Boys), 1982 (vs FC Basel), 1986 (vs Servette FC) and 1991 (vs Young Boys). 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 Zurich, Servette FC and FC Luzern. Their win against FC Luzern in 1997 secured FC Sion their only domestic double, having also won the Swiss League.

However the club quickly fell in to 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 and 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 in to the second division in October 2003.

Constantin spent the following seasons rebuilding the club, with the club getting through twenty managers in the following eight years, including taking the role himself twice, in a bid to financially stabalise. He was rewarded in 2006 with promotion back to the Super League, as well as a victory in the Swiss Cup, 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

In 2008, however, 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, due to El-Hadary still being under contract at his former club Al Ahly. FC Sion appealed this action, but the Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland confirmed the FIFA, DRC and CAS decisions in 2009 and 2010 respectively. However the lengthy legal battle (including the temporary reprieve), meant that the ban was only practically instituted first in the winter window of 2010–11 season.

Although gaining a place in the qualifying round of the 2011-12 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 over Celtic. On 2 September, the Swiss Football League rejected the registration of one more player, Brian Amofa.

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 García, to comply with the ongoing legal process. FC Sion also sued SFL and UEFA respectively in the Tribunal Cantonal de Valais and the Tribunal in Vaud, however both actions were dismissed. The club's earlier appeal was dismissed by UEFA Appeals Body on 13 September. FC Sion also sued SFL and UEFA in CAS, but withdrew the former claim. The hearing of the latter claim was set on 24 November.

On 25 October, the Discipline Commission (fr: Commission de discipline) of SFL suspended all six players for five games. 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", UEFA invited FC Sion to a match schedule consultation once UEFA lost the legal battle.

On 31 October 2011, Sion sent a complaint to the European Commission. FIFA also won the legal battle in civil court in November. Previously the civil court of Martigny and Saint-Maurice (both city of Valais) ordered FIFA to confirm the signing of those six players on 3 August. On 16 November, the FIFA and SFL appeal was upheld in the Valais canton court.

On 15 December CAS partially upheld the complaints by UEFA, which upheld the disqualification of FC Sion from the Europa League, however most of the other complaint were inadmissible by the CAS. CAS also lifted the provisional measures ordered by the Tribunal Cantonal of Vaud (Cour civile) on 5 October 2011. It was because FIFA did not had internal jurisdiction in domestic level, which FIFA cannot issued penalty directly to club in domestic league, FIFA ordered Swiss FA to penalized FC Sion for fielding ineligible players in the whole first half of 2011–12 season. It also reported that FIFA threatened to suspend Swiss national and club teams from international competition if FC Sion were not appropriately penalized for its ostensible rules violations. In late December 2011, the Swiss Football Association complied with FIFA's demands and penalized Sion 36 standings points (based on how many match ineligible players involved) , moving the club to last place in the league standings and putting the club at risk of Relegation if the ruling stands.

Honours

FC Sion holds the distinction of having never lost a domestic Cup final, with 12 wins in 12 appearances in the Swiss Cup.

• Swiss Super League: 2 - 1991–92, 1996–97
• Swiss Cup: 12 - 1965, 1974, 1980, 1982, 1986, 1991, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2006, 2009, 2011

Stadium

FC Sion play their home games at the multi-purpose Stade Tourbillon, which has a capacity of 20,187. It was originally constructed in 1968, and was renovated in 1989. The club also has a training centre in nearby Riddes.

Current squad

As of 14 January, 2012 Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player 1 GK Andris Vaņins (Vice-captain) 3 DF Miloš Bakrač 4 DF José Gonçalves 5 DF Michael Dingsdag 6 DF Aislan 7 MF Mario Mutsch 8 MF Rodrigo 9 MF Danilo 11 FW Christ Mbondi 13 MF Sébastien Wüthrich 14 MF Vullnet Basha 15 MF Jonas Elmer 16 MF Didier Crettenand 17 FW Guilherme Afonso

No. Position Player 18 GK Kevin Fickentscher 19 FW Dragan Mrđa 20 DF Vilmos Vanczák 21 MF Abdoul Yoda 22 MF Goran Obradović (captain) 23 MF Xavier Margairaz 26 MF Serey Die 27 MF Geoffrey Tréand 28 FW Cristian Ianu 29 MF Florian Berisha 30 GK Steven Deana 31 DF Arnaud Bühler 32 MF Anthony Sauthier 33 DF Adaílton

Out on loan

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

No. Position Player 2 MF Damien Germanier (at Echallens) 9 MF Aleksandar Prijović (at Lausanne-Sport) 14 FW Loïc Chatton (at Biel/Bienne)

Staff

Management

President

• Christian Constantin

General Manager

• Domenicangelo Massimo

Manager

• Alexandre Zen-Ruffinen

Director of Sport

• Frédéric Chassot

Sports

Head Coach

• Laurent Roussey

Assistant Coach

• Blaise Piffaretti

Teamchef

• Jean-Claude Richard

Technical Coach

• José Sinval

Goalkeeper Coach

• Marco Pascolo

Medical

Physic Coach

• Philippe Troillet

Advisor

• Zoran Funjak

Masseur

• Omar Boumaraf
• Philippe Hofmann

Doctor

• Roberto Campini

Notable players

See Category:FC Sion players.

Former Personal

• (Head Coach U-17) Umberto Barberis
• (Head Coach U-18) Christian Zermatten

Former coaches

• Miroslav Blažević (1971–76)
• Uli Stielike (2008)
• Alberto Bigon (1996–97), (2007–08)
• Néstor Clausen (2006–07)

External links

• Official website (French)