Red-blue alert!: Why FC Basel should not go down

Wounded Bazel’s self-image

The FCB fans, even the most loyal of the loyal, are put off and disillusioned. They whistle at their own team, wave players and coaches into the locker room, don’t want to see them anymore and applaud the opponent. What was unthinkable not so long ago has happened. The old heroes are also shocked, speechless and sad.

It is no longer about titles and merits, it is about the naked struggle for existence. The fact that age-old rival FCZ is currently scoring high and leading the league, and class leader YB can present itself in the guise of the Champions League, further scratches Basel’s damaged self-image.

FCB has become a problem that needs to be solved. Such as the open drug scene that is spreading menacingly in Kleinbasel, or the fight for climate neutrality, which the city must achieve by 2037, which means doing without, such as reducing car traffic or replacing oil and gas heating. But no one likes to do without and scale back.

Risky strategy: Everything on red and blue

This also applies to David Degen, a former player who is used to success himself and has been president since 2021. Lively and ambitious, perhaps naive, always thinking big, he dreams of making FCB top again. But DD also suffers from legacy problems. One of the causes of the current crisis can also be traced back to the golden times under Bernhard Heusler. When the FCB structure became so bloated that it could only be successfully refinanced on the big European stage.

As these successes become increasingly difficult for Swiss clubs to achieve given the rapid development in top European football, the current clinging to ambitions is like a doomsday scenario. Degen relies on players who have not yet been able to establish themselves abroad or who are still at the beginning of their development, in the hope of their ultra-fast breakthrough and good returns. A casino strategy that entails irresponsible risks. Everything towards red blue and eyes.

Identification is becoming increasingly difficult

That worked last season. Thanks to the successes in the Conference League, at least 50 million was earned through transfers – you can certainly give Degen a profit for that. But this European stage is missing this year, it is already lost, and the millions are seeping through your fingers as quickly as the sand on the sea. Moreover, the new players probably do not have the potential of those who were all sold in the summer and thus received a financial windfall. Their names? It’s hard to remember. They come, they go. The fans’ identification with the team? It’s getting harder and harder.

The local heroes from Basel are no longer on the field: Maissen, Ceccaroni, Huggel, Streller, Frei, who led and shaped the team for years. Who wore this red-blue jersey with passion, gave their souls for the club and were rewarded with the love of the fans. Now everyone looks at their own career and sees FCB at best as a stepping stone and no longer as a matter of the heart. I don’t even blame them, given the financial temptations that today’s football offers even to average players. The fact that the fans in Basel are having a hard time with this has never been stated so brutally as last Black Sunday.

More humility and a new strategy

What is needed is a carefully considered rebuilding – a long-term plan. This includes sustainable promotion of young talent, an identification strategy with players from the region and proximity to fans, economic reasons, broad financial support to build a structure that can exist even in times of crisis. This requires expertise, time, patience and sacrifice. Possibly also the temporary renunciation of magical nights and the dream of making money quickly. Perhaps not everyone has heard the alarm bells ringing yet. FCB is at a crossroads, on the edge of the abyss. If it falls, it would be fatal not only for proud Basel, but for the entire football here.

I wish David Degen and his colleagues foresight and a good sense of the situation. FC Basel must not go down. And I am not writing this as an FCB fan, although as a former player I certainly have sympathy for this club, but as a fan of Swiss football.

On Sunday, Basel has to play against YB in a sold-out Wankdorf. Have fun and have a great week everyone. Until the next “Steilpass” next Thursday.