2006 Basel Hooligan Incident
Encyclopedia
The 2006 Basel Hooligan Incident (Often called "Disgrace of Basel") occurred on May 13, 2006 in Basel
, Switzerland
. On that day hooligans supporting the Swiss football club FC Basel 1893 stormed the field of the St. Jakob-Park
after a championship-deciding match against the club FC Zürich. FC Zürich scored in the dying moments of the match, and the goal ended the dream of Basel winning the Swiss Super League
a third time in a row. This incident resulted in property damage and it is seen as one of the worst of such incidents involving hooliganism
in Swiss sport.
The game itself was fought fiercely with many fouls on both sides. In the 90th minute the score was 1-1 which would have meant that Basel would have been champion by two points. The Basel fans and officials were already celebrating and preparing for the victory celebration. The next two minutes Basel were playing defensively and keeping the ball out of their half of the pitch. In the 93rd minute Zürich were awarded a throw-in. The ball was thrown to the right flank of the field where midfielder Florian Stahel crossed the ball into the penalty area
. The Basel defence failed to remove the ball from their penalty area where it reached FC Zürich defender Iulian Filipescu
who shot the ball around then Basel goalie Pascal Zuberbühler
into the left corner of the goal. Referee Massimo Busacca
ended the match after the goal and Zürich was champion.
The Zürich players immediately started celebrating with their team officials. About 30 seconds after the final whistle had been blown, dozens of attendees of the match who supported Basel stormed the pitch. These hooligans started attacking the Zürich players and officials who tried to flee into the changing rooms. Iulian Filipescu was attacked numerous times. A flare
was also thrown at him, but it narrowly missed its target. On the other side of the pitch the small group of FC Zürich fans which travelled to Basel started celebrating with their players whilst police built a human wall on the center line preventing the hooligans from advancing any further. The supporters of FC Zürich also stepped on to the field illegally. Whilst celebrating with his fans, Filipescu was attacked again by Basel hooligans. He and his team-mate Alhassane Keita
furiously kicked the attackers out of their vicinity before the police detained them. The victory ceremony was held on the stands instead of on the field because of the hooligans, who were still clashing with the police, who in turn were starting to outnumber the vandals.
The fighting didn't end immediately after the match. Battles were being held between hooligans and police outside of the stadium until late into the night.
FC Zürich was also punished because of its inability to prevent its fans from also setting foot on the field. It was fined 30,000 Swiss francs.
Many security procedures for the Euro 2008 in Switzerland
and Austria
were also rethought because of this event.
Basel
Basel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. On that day hooligans supporting the Swiss football club FC Basel 1893 stormed the field of the St. Jakob-Park
St. Jakob-Park
' is a Swiss sports stadium in Basel. It is the largest football venue in Switzerland and home to FC Basel. "Joggeli", as the venue is nicknamed by the locals, was originally built with a capacity of 33,433 seats. The capacity was increased to 42,500 for Euro 2008, which was hosted by Switzerland...
after a championship-deciding match against the club FC Zürich. FC Zürich scored in the dying moments of the match, and the goal ended the dream of Basel winning the Swiss Super League
Swiss Super League
The Swiss Super League or Axpo Super League is the top tier of the Swiss Football League. The Swiss Super League is currently ranked 16th according to UEFA's ranking of league coefficients, which is based upon Swiss team performances in European competitions.-Names:-Participating clubs:The teams...
a third time in a row. This incident resulted in property damage and it is seen as one of the worst of such incidents involving hooliganism
Hooliganism
Hooliganism refers to unruly, destructive, aggressive and bullying behaviour. Such behaviour is commonly associated with sports fans. The term can also apply to general rowdy behaviour and vandalism, often under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs....
in Swiss sport.
Course of Events
FC Basel and FC Zürich were practically neck and neck for the entire 2005-2006 Swiss Super League season. It all came down to a last match between the two competing teams on the 13th of May in Basel. The situation was that Basel needed to win at least one point to be Swiss champions, so a draw would have been sufficient. FC Zürich, on the other hand, required a win to top Basel.The game itself was fought fiercely with many fouls on both sides. In the 90th minute the score was 1-1 which would have meant that Basel would have been champion by two points. The Basel fans and officials were already celebrating and preparing for the victory celebration. The next two minutes Basel were playing defensively and keeping the ball out of their half of the pitch. In the 93rd minute Zürich were awarded a throw-in. The ball was thrown to the right flank of the field where midfielder Florian Stahel crossed the ball into the penalty area
Penalty area
The penalty area , is an area of an association football pitch. It is rectangular and extends to each side of the goal and in front of it. Within the penalty area is the penalty spot , which is from the goal line, directly in-line with the centre of the goal...
. The Basel defence failed to remove the ball from their penalty area where it reached FC Zürich defender Iulian Filipescu
Iulian Filipescu
Iulian Sebastian Filipescu is a former Romanian footballer, who was born in Slatina, Romania. He was a centre back or defensive midfielder who possessed strength and tough tackling as well as being dead ball specialist. A fluent passer and he also possesses good technique. He debuted in Divizia A...
who shot the ball around then Basel goalie Pascal Zuberbühler
Pascal Zuberbühler
Pascal Zuberbühler is a Swiss footballer who is currently the goalkeeping coach for the Philippines. He was recently released by Fulham after coming to the end of his contract.-Club career:...
into the left corner of the goal. Referee Massimo Busacca
Massimo Busacca
Massimo Busacca is a Swiss former football referee. He lives in Monte Carasso, Ticino, near Bellinzona, and is also the proprietor of a business....
ended the match after the goal and Zürich was champion.
The Zürich players immediately started celebrating with their team officials. About 30 seconds after the final whistle had been blown, dozens of attendees of the match who supported Basel stormed the pitch. These hooligans started attacking the Zürich players and officials who tried to flee into the changing rooms. Iulian Filipescu was attacked numerous times. A flare
Flare (pyrotechnic)
A flare, also sometimes called a fusee, is a type of pyrotechnic that produces a brilliant light or intense heat without an explosion. Flares are used for signalling, illumination, or defensive countermeasures in civilian and military applications...
was also thrown at him, but it narrowly missed its target. On the other side of the pitch the small group of FC Zürich fans which travelled to Basel started celebrating with their players whilst police built a human wall on the center line preventing the hooligans from advancing any further. The supporters of FC Zürich also stepped on to the field illegally. Whilst celebrating with his fans, Filipescu was attacked again by Basel hooligans. He and his team-mate Alhassane Keita
Alhassane Keita
Alhassane Keita Otchico , known as Keita, is a Guinean footballer who plays for Al-Shabab Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, as a striker.-Club career:...
furiously kicked the attackers out of their vicinity before the police detained them. The victory ceremony was held on the stands instead of on the field because of the hooligans, who were still clashing with the police, who in turn were starting to outnumber the vandals.
The fighting didn't end immediately after the match. Battles were being held between hooligans and police outside of the stadium until late into the night.
Consequences
FC Basel was punished because of its inability to control its own fans. It received a fine of 80,000 Swiss francs and its first two home games of the 2006-2007 season would have to be held without fans, as so called "ghost matches". The next three would have to be held with just 3/4 of stadium capacity without the eastern corner (called the "Muttenzer Kurve") of the stadium being occupied by attendees of the match.FC Zürich was also punished because of its inability to prevent its fans from also setting foot on the field. It was fined 30,000 Swiss francs.
Many security procedures for the Euro 2008 in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
and Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
were also rethought because of this event.