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FC Thun

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Thun
Full nameFussballclub Thun 1898
Founded1898; 126 years ago (1898)
GroundStockhorn Arena
Capacity10,000
ChairmanAndres Gerber
ManagerMauro Lustrinelli
LeagueSwiss Challenge League
2023–24Swiss Challenge League, 2nd of 10
Websitehttps://fcthun.ch
Current season

Fussballclub Thun 1898 is a Swiss football team from the Bernese Oberland town of Thun. The club plays in the Swiss Challenge League, the second tier of the Swiss football league system, following relegation from the Swiss Super League in the 2019–20 season. The club plays at the Stockhorn Arena which accommodates a total of 10,000 supporters, both seated and standing. The club's colours are red and white.

The biggest achievements in the club's history are two second-place finishes in the Swiss Cup (1955 and 2019), as well as reaching the group stages of the 2005–06 UEFA Champions League.

History

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Participation certificate of the FC Thun, issued 20. July 1936
Chart of FC Thun table positions in the Swiss football league system

Until 1995

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FC Thun was founded on 1 May 1898. The club played in the second Swiss division, the Nationalliga B (now known as Swiss Challenge League) from 1946 to 1950 and in the 1953–54 season. At the end of the 1953–54 season, the team finished in second place only behind FC Lugano and was promoted to the first division, the Nationalliga A (now known as the Swiss Super League), for the first time in the club's history. However, the club finished the 1954–55 season in second to last place and was relegated back to the second division after playing just one season in the top flight. In 1955, Thun reached the final of the Swiss Cup, which was lost 1–3 to La Chaux-de-Fonds.

From 1955 to 1970, Thun continuously played in the Nationalliga B, before being relegated to the Swiss 1. Liga, back then the third tier of the Swiss football league system, at the end of the 1969–70 season.

From third division to Champions League

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In 1995, Andy Egli became the manager of Thun. Two years later, at the end of the 1996–97 season, Thun regained promotion to the Nationalliga B for the first time since 1970. Under manager Georges Bregy, the club took part in the 1999–2000 Nationalliga A/B playoff games, but could not secure promotion to the first league and remained in the Nationalliga B. From July 2001 to December 2004 the team was coached by Hanspeter Latour. Under his management, Thun was promoted to the Nationalliga A after 47 years of absence from the Swiss top flight at the end of the 2001–02 season. After Latour left Thun to coach Grasshopper Club Zürich, Urs Schönenberger was appointed as the new head coach.

Thun finished the 2004–05 season in second place only behind FC Basel and thus became runners-up of the Swiss championship, which was rebranded from Nationalliga A to Swiss Super League by then. This constituted the best league result in the history of the club and also secured the club a place in the qualifying rounds for the Champions League. By beating Dynamo Kyiv (3–2 on aggregate) and Malmö FF (4–0 on aggregate) in the qualifying rounds, FC Thun reached the group stages of the 2005–06 Champions League. They were drawn in Group B alongside Arsenal, Ajax and Sparta Prague. They started their campaign on 14 September 2005 away at Arsenal, where after equalising through Nelson Ferreira, they narrowly lost 2–1 after Dennis Bergkamp scored in the match's final seconds. On 27 September they hosted the Czech champions Sparta Prague at home, the Stadion Wankdorf in Bern, where all the club's European home matches were held, as the Lachen Stadium does not meet Uefa's prerequisites for Champions League venues.[citation needed] Thun's 1–0 victory thanks to Selver Hodžić's 80th-minute winner propelled them into second place in the group. Following a loss to Ajax on 2 November, they lost 1–0 at home to Arsenal and with Ajax beating Sparta Prague, FC Thun exited the Champions League. However, Thun drew 0–0 with Sparta Prague in their last group match, securing third place in the group and thus qualifying for the UEFA Cup Round of 32.

Despite his success, coach Urs Schönenberger was regarded as a controversial figure by the club management because of his uncompromising nature and communication style.[1] Just three days prior to their Uefa Cup tie against Hamburger SV, on 13 February 2006, Thun sacked Schönenberger, who had guided them to the Champions' League group stages and replaced him with Heinz Peischl. In the first leg, Thun managed a surprise 1–0 over Hamburg at the Stade de Suisse. However, Hamburg was too strong at their home, the Volksparkstadion, and managed to overturn the deficit, winning the second leg 2–0 (2–1 on aggregate).

Between first and second division

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FC Thun before their 2013 Europa League match against Dynamo Kyiv

FC Thun finished the 2007–08 season in last place and was subsequently relegated to the second division. Two years later, the club won the 2009–10 Swiss Challenge League and was promoted back to the Super League under head coach Murat Yakin. Yakin led the team to a fifth-place finish in the following season but left Thun to assume the role as head coach of FC Luzern before the start of the 2011–12 season. Under the new coach Bernard Challandes, the team played in the qualifying rounds of the 2011–12 Europa League. After winning against Albanian side KF Vllaznia Shkodër (2–1 on aggregate) and advancing against Italian club US Palermo because of the away goals rule (3–3 on aggregate), Thun lost 1–5 on aggregate to Stoke City in the final play-off round and thus missed qualification for the group stages.[2]

Urs Fischer took over management of the team in January 2013 and lead FC Thun to a fifth-place finish in the 2012–13 season. In the qualifying rounds of the 2013–14 Europa League, Thun won against Georgian team Chikhura Sachkhere (5–1 on aggregate), Swedish side BK Häcken (3–1 on aggregate) as well as FK Partizan from Serbia (3–1 on aggregate) and thus qualified for the group stages of the competition. They were drawn in Group G against Rapid Wien, KRC Genk and Dynamo Kyiv. In their group, the team won only one out of the six fixtures (1–0 against Rapid Wien) and lost the other five games, finishing last in the group and dropping out of the competition.

After finishing 4th in the 2018–19 Swiss Super League, FC Thun were eligible for the 3rd round UEFA Europa League qualifiers. Drawn against Spartak Moscow, FC Thun lost both legs and 3-5 on aggregate to the Russian team.[3]

In 2019, FC Thun reached the final of the Swiss Cup for the second time in the club's history. They lost the game 1–2 against FC Basel.[4] In November of the same year, PMG, Chien Lee and The Seelig Group invested in the club and became the co-owners of FC Thun football club.[5]

Thun finished the 2019–20 season in second to last place and had to face the runners-up team of the 2019–20 Challenge League, FC Vaduz, in the relegation play-offs. After losing 0–2 in the first leg played away in Rheinpark Stadion, the 4–3 victory in the second leg was not enough to win on aggregate, which meant that FC Thun was relegated to the Swiss Challenge League.[6] In the following season, the club reached second place in the Challenge League and qualified for the promotion play-offs, but lost 4–6 on aggregate against FC Sion and remained in the second division.[7] Carlos Bernegger remained as manager for the 2021-22 season which saw Thun finish in 5th place. The team were awarded was awarded the Fair Play Trophy for the dieci Challenge League.[8]

The following season was more of the same for Thun, finishing in 6th place. Gabriel Kyeremateng finished the season as the third highest goalscorer (16) and was nominated for March's player of the month award.[9][10] Bernegger left FC Thun at the end of the season to be replaced by Mauro Lustrinelli[11][12]

Under Lustrinelli for the first full season, Thun finished second, three points behind champions FC Sion. They qualified for the promotion playoff against Grasshopper Club Zürich. The first leg of the playoff finished in a draw, and the second leg Thun lost 2-1 at home following an injury time goal from Asumah Abubakar. FC Thun goalscorer Koro Koné was sent off in the 94th minute.[13][14] Ahead of the 2024-25 season, captain Marco Bürki signed a two year contract extension.[15] Daniel Dos Santos was sold to FC Lugano after a 10 goal and 9 assist season.[16] FC Thun made 11 signings in the off-season, including Declan Frith who had played for both Aston Villa and Chelsea academy sides in England, Ashvin Balaruban from Neuchâtel Xamax, Fabio Fehr from FC Vaduz and Genis Montolio who previously played for Villarreal in La Liga.[17][18][19] Ahead of the 2024-25 season, FC Thun were picked as favourites for promotion, and at their final home friendly match versus FC Sochaux revealed their new mascot Münggu a 2m tall marmot.[20][21] In July, FC Thun launched their new home shirts manufactured by Macron and sponsored by Visana.[22][23][24] They opened the new season with two wins against FC Aarau and FC Vaduz, before a draw with newly relegated Stade Lausanne-Ouchy. A victory in game week four against Etoile Carouge left them top of the table.[25] FC Thun were drawn away in the first round of the 2024–25 Swiss Cup against SC Schwyz who qualified under the Suva Fairplay Trophy rules. FC Thun won 6-0 at the Tschaibrunnen sports complex.[26]

Crest

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FC Thun's centenary crest used in 1998

FC Thun's first crest was a black logo script of the team name, with a prominent football coloured red, black and green. In 1998, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the club's formation, FC Thun used a logo with the name script in black, on a background showing the number 100 in red and yellow.

For the 2010/11 season, following promotion to the Swiss Super League, FC Thun utilised a developed version of their original logo, with yellow added (and green removed) with "Berner Oberland" text added to the lower right side of the football.

The current red and white logo with yellow star has been used since 2011.

Kit Suppliers & Sponsors

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FC Thun kits[27]
Period Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor (chest) Shirt sponsor (other)
1898-1998 Unidentified Unknown Unknown
1998 Lotto Deichmann
1999 - 2005 Adidas Frutiger AG Adelbodner
2005-2007 Hummel
2009-2010 Erima Axpo
2011-2012 Panorama Center (Home)
SkyWork (Away)
2013-2017 Nike Panorama Center (Home)
Schneider Software AG (Away)
2017-2019 Schneider Software AG
2020-2024 Macron
2024-2025 Visana

Stadiums

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Inside the Stockhorn Arena

From 1945 until 2011, FC Thun played their home matches at Stadion Lachen. The stadium held 10,350 fans in a mixture of standing and seating. FC Thun played their final game at Lachen in May 2011, beating AC Bellinzona 3-1.[28]

In 2005, when FC Thun qualified for the Champions League, they were required to use the Stade de Suisse in Bern.[29]

In 2006, the citizens of Thun refused to finance a new stadium with public funds, leaving FC Thun needing to find alternative investment or risk no longer being eligible to play professional football.[30] A private contractor offered to build the stadium with construction work beginning in spring 2010. The stadium would feature a shopping mall. The new stadium - at that time called Arena Thun - was officially inaugurated on 9 July 2011, with a friendly match between 1. FC Köln and FC Thun.[31] Köln's striker Milivoje Novaković was the first player to score in the new arena, and the game ended in a tie (2:2).[32] In 2014, Stockhornbahn AG (which runs an aerial cableway to the Stockhorn) began sponsorship of the stadium, which became known as the Stockhorn Arena.[33]

Current squad

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As of 16 September 2024[34]

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Switzerland SUI Nino Ziswiler
4 DF Spain ESP Genís Montolio
5 DF Germany GER Dominik Franke
6 MF Switzerland SUI Leonardo Bertone
7 MF Switzerland SUI Miguel Castroman
8 MF Switzerland SUI Vasilije Janjičić
9 FW France FRA Hermann Tebily
10 FW France FRA Ihsan Sacko
11 FW Switzerland SUI Tresor Samba
16 MF Switzerland SUI Justin Roth
17 DF Switzerland SUI Ashvin Balaruban
19 DF Switzerland SUI Jan Bamert
21 DF Switzerland SUI Uros Vasic
23 DF Switzerland SUI Marco Bürki
No. Pos. Nation Player
24 GK Switzerland SUI Niklas Steffen
29 MF England ENG Declan Frith
30 GK Switzerland SUI Jan Eicher
33 FW Switzerland SUI Marc Gutbub
34 DF Switzerland SUI Nicola Sutter
36 MF Switzerland SUI Enis Asani
37 DF Switzerland SUI Lucien Dähler
46 FW Switzerland SUI Hélios Sessolo
47 MF Switzerland SUI Fabio Fehr
64 GK Switzerland SUI Dario Wälti
70 MF Switzerland SUI Nils Reichmuth
74 FW North Macedonia MKD Elmin Rastoder
77 MF Switzerland SUI Franz-Ethan Meichtry
78 MF Switzerland SUI Valmir Matoshi

European record

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  • Q= Qualifying
  • PO = Play-off
Season Competition Round Club Home Away Aggregate
2005–06 UEFA Champions League Q2 Ukraine Dynamo Kyiv 1–0 2–2 3–2
Q3 Sweden Malmö FF 3–0 1–0 4–0
Group B England Arsenal 0–1 1–2 3rd
Czech Republic Sparta Praha 1–0 0–0
Netherlands Ajax 2–4 0–2
UEFA Cup R32 Germany Hamburger SV 1–0 0–2 1–2
2011–12 UEFA Europa League Q2 Albania Vllaznia 2–1 0–0 2–1
Q3 Italy Palermo 1–1 2–2 3–3
PO England Stoke City 0–1 1–4 1–5
2013–14 UEFA Europa League Q2 Georgia (country) Chikhura Sachkhere 2–0 3–1 5–1
Q3 Sweden Häcken 1–0 2–1 3–1
PO Serbia Partizan 3–0 0–1 3–1
Group G Ukraine Dynamo Kyiv 0–2 0–3 4th
Belgium Genk 0–1 1–2
Austria Rapid Wien 1–0 1–2
2015–16 UEFA Europa League Q2 Israel Hapoel Be'er Sheva 2–1 1–1 3–2
Q3 Liechtenstein Vaduz 0–0 2–2 2–2 (a.)
PO Czech Republic Sparta Praha 3–3 1–3 4–6
2019–20 UEFA Europa League Q3 Russia FC Spartak Moscow 2–3 1–2 3–5

Former coaches

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Honours

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References

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  1. ^ "Der ewig Kompromisslose" (in German). NZZ Online (nzz.ch). 19 February 2006. Archived from the original on 8 December 2023. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  2. ^ "Stoke 4-1 FC Thun". bbc.com. 25 August 2011. Archived from the original on 12 November 2022. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  3. ^ "Spartak Moskva (RUS)FC Spartak Moskva 2 1 Thun (SUI)". uefa.com.
  4. ^ "Basel holt 13. Cupsieg" (in German). srf.ch. 19 May 2019. Archived from the original on 12 November 2022. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  5. ^ "Strategic partnership between FC Thun Bernese Oberland and the Pacific Media Group (PMG)" (in German). fcthun.ch. 26 November 2019. Archived from the original on 13 January 2020. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  6. ^ "Spätes Aufbäumen reicht nicht: Thun scheitert an Vaduz und steigt ab" (in German). kicker.de. 11 August 2020. Archived from the original on 12 November 2022. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  7. ^ "Sion unterliegt Thun, bleibt aber erstklassig" (in German). srf.ch. 30 May 2021. Archived from the original on 12 November 2022. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  8. ^ "Fair Play Trophys gehen nach Lugano und Thun" [Fair Play trophies awarded to Lugano and Thun]. 1 June 2022.
  9. ^ "Wir suchen den "Best Player" des Monats März" (in German). Swiss Football League. 6 April 2023.
  10. ^ ""Best Player" im März ist: Cedric Itten" (in German). 13 April 2023.
  11. ^ "Bernegger verlässt den Club Ende Saison". fcthun.ch (in German). FC Thun. 4 May 2022. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  12. ^ "Willkommen Mauro!". fcthun.ch (in German). FC Thun. 16 June 2022. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  13. ^ "GC erkämpft sich in letzter Sekunde ein Unentschieden". srf.ch (in German).
  14. ^ "GC hält sich gegen starkes Thun in extremis in der Super League". srf.ch (in German).
  15. ^ "Marco Bürki verlängert bis 2026 beim FC Thun". fcthun.ch (in German).
  16. ^ "Daniel Dos Santos joins FC Lugano". bluewin.ch.
  17. ^ "Sunderland, QPR miss out on 22-year-old forward after recent bids". the72.co.uk.
  18. ^ "Frith und Meichtry unterschreiben beim FC Thun". fcthun.ch (in German).
  19. ^ "Update Kaderplanung: Vier Spieler neu beim FC Thun". fcthun.ch (in German).
  20. ^ "Thun go into the new season as favorites". bluewin.ch.
  21. ^ "Neues FC Thun Maskottchen". fcthun.ch (in German).
  22. ^ "Neue Trikots Saison 24/25" (in German).
  23. ^ "Langfristige Partnerschaft mit Visana". fcthun.ch (in German).
  24. ^ "FC Thun hat neuen Hauptsponsor – und trennt sich vom Investor". thunertagblatt.ch (in German).
  25. ^ "Thun wins top match in Carouge". bluewin.ch.
  26. ^ "Schweizer Cup: Ein unvergesslicher Tag für den SC Schwyz". football.ch (in German).
  27. ^ "FC Thun". footballkitarchive.com.
  28. ^ "Abschied vom Stadion Lachen". derbund.ch (in German).
  29. ^ "Thun's fairy tale journey to Highbury". telegraph.co.uk.
  30. ^ "Schnappschüsse aus fast 60 Jahren im Lachen". bernerzeitung.ch (in German).
  31. ^ "Stockhorn Arena". stadiumguide.com.
  32. ^ "2:2 gegen den FC Thun" (in German). fc-koeln.de. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
  33. ^ "Das Thuner Stadion wird zur Stockhorn Arena". bernerzeitung.ch (in German).
  34. ^ "FC Thun Berner Oberland – Kader". fcthun.ch. Retrieved 4 November 2024.
  35. ^ "Thun coach takes players' advice and quits". uk.reuters.com. 20 November 2012. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016.
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