Contemporary witnesses Ceccaroni and Knup remember 1988: when FCB disappeared into the abyss of relegation

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The proud FC Basel in last place! And not with company. Solo! Three points behind. Okay, one less match. Nevertheless: this has a historical dimension. The club, which became champions no less than twelve times this millennium, was last in such a bad position in 1987. Back then you were last after both nine and ten laps. Ultimately, the bitter descent through the promotion/relegation round followed.

Failed return by Benthaus

“I erased all memories,” says Adrian Knup (55), then 19 years old and in his second professional season – and laughs loudly. «I live in the present… No, all joking aside. What is happening today cannot be compared to the 1987/88 season. That was a very different time.” Two years earlier, coaching icon Helmut Benthaus had returned to FCB with lofty goals and an improved quality team, after sensationally becoming German champions with VfB Stuttgart two years earlier. “They really wanted to attack again. But that didn’t work,” says Knup, who was Chief Sports Officer of the Swiss Football League until the summer.

Ceccaroni: “All my dreams fell apart”

All that remained were debts and a slimmed-down team with many young players as a mortgage for the new coach Urs Siegenthaler. Even with Benthaus, they only managed to maintain their class in the last match against Wettingen. FCB legend Massimo Ceccaroni (55) says looking back: “A lot of guys like Atze (Knup, editor) and I had come. But Peter Nadig, Dominique Herr and Patrick Framework were also at the start of their careers. All of Basel. This identity was the only positive thing. It was my first official season and I was full of dreams. But then they cracked. That really hurt.”

In case of emergency, they even had to bring in players from the second division, Ceccaroni remembers. “There were a few that were only there for one season and then disappeared into obscurity. Sure: we even played some great games. But we completely lacked consistency due to the lack of content.” By Christmas it was already clear that we would hardly be able to survive the promotion/relegation round.

Even Malley was better than FCB…

That’s how it was. After a 2-3 defeat in Wettingen it was clear: FCB had to go. In the end even Malley (!) finished ahead of Rotblau. A drama! Or not? Knup: “It was a big disappointment, let’s put it that way. On the other hand, the small budget and lack of money really hit home. Not that it was a relegation with announcement. But there were reasons why we weren’t competitive enough.”

Six seasons pass before they return to the elite. “Six miserably long years,” said Ceccaroni, who would later become FCB’s record player with 452 appearances and was only replaced by Fabian Frei a good year ago. Which brings us to the current team. This should actually be around 1988. Nevertheless, what Ceccaroni says is exciting.

Ceccaroni’s analysis 2023

Only the name of the club is the same and the unpleasant situation is similar. “The starting position today with the second highest budget is completely different. They said they wanted to win the title. Play up front. And then of course failure hits even harder. And the discovery phase the club is in with so many new players is anything but easy. They come here and have to adapt to a team where nothing is working at the moment. That’s when you start brainstorming. And when football players brainstorm too hard, that’s usually not a good thing.’

And what does the man who was ultimately responsible for the relegation in 1988 say? Siegenthaler? Exactly as much: “The situations are not comparable at all.” Say it, have a nice day – and hang up. That’s how it goes.

Source : Blick