FC Sion facts for kids
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| Full name | Football Club de Sion | ||
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| Founded | 1909 | ||
| Ground | Stade de Tourbillon | ||
| Capacity | 14,283 | ||
| Chairman | Christian Constantin | ||
| Head coach | Didier Tholot | ||
| League | Swiss Super League | ||
| 2023–24 | Swiss Challenge League, 1st of 10 (promoted) | ||
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Football Club Sion, often called FC Sion or just Sion, is a football club from the city of Sion in Switzerland. The club started in 1909 and plays its home games at the Stade de Tourbillon.
FC Sion is famous for winning the Swiss Cup many times. They have won it in 13 out of 14 final matches they played, with their last win in 2015. The team will play in the Swiss Super League (the top football league in Switzerland) starting in the 2024–2025 season, after winning the Swiss Challenge League in 2023–24.
Club History
FC Sion was started in 1909 by Robert Gilliard, who became the team captain. They played their first game that same year, winning 3–2 against FC Aigle. The club grew with help from local people. In 1914, they played their first official league game, also winning 3–2 against FC Monthey.
For about 20 years, starting in 1932, Sion played in the fourth level of Swiss football. They moved up to the third level in 1944 but went back down in 1946. In 1952, they returned to the third level. Five years later, Sion moved up to the National League B. Then, five years after that, in 1962, they reached the top league, the National League A (now called the Swiss Super League).
In 1965, Sion won their first Swiss Cup by beating Servette 2–1. The Stade de Tourbillon stadium, which holds 16,263 fans, opened in August 1968. Even though the club was relegated in 1969, they quickly returned to the top league. They won their second Swiss Cup in 1974, beating Neuchâtel Xamax 3–2.
Sion continued to do very well in the Swiss Cup, winning it in 1980, 1982, 1986, and 1991. The stadium was also updated in 1989. The biggest success during this time was when Sion won their first Swiss League Championship in 1992.
The club won the Swiss Cup three years in a row from 1995 to 1997. In 1997, they beat Luzern in the cup final and also won the Swiss League. This meant they won both the league and the cup in the same year, which is called a "domestic double."
After this great success, the club faced money problems. They almost went bankrupt but were saved when Gilbert Kadji bought them. However, they were relegated in 1999. Even though they returned to the top division the next season, money issues continued. In 2001, they were relegated again, and in 2003, they were not allowed to play as a professional team. The club was saved by Christian Constantin, an architect and former player. They were allowed back into the second division in October 2003.
Christian Constantin worked hard to rebuild the club. He even took on the manager role twice himself. In 2006, his efforts paid off. Sion was promoted back to the Super League and also won the Swiss Cup. They were the first second-tier team to win the cup, beating Young Boys in a penalty shootout after a 1–1 draw.
Player Transfer Issues
In 2008, FC Sion faced a big problem when they signed a player named Essam El Hadary. He was still under contract with his old club, Al Ahly. Because of this, FIFA (the world football organization) banned Sion from registering new players for two years, starting in June 2009. El Hadary also received a playing ban.
Sion tried to fight this decision in court for a long time. The ban finally started in the winter of the 2010–11 season. Even though Sion won the Swiss Cup and earned a spot in the 2011–12 UEFA Europa League, they were kicked out of the competition by UEFA. This happened because they used players who were not allowed to play in their match against Celtic. UEFA ruled that Sion had to lose those matches 0–3.
The Swiss Football League (SFL) also had to deal with the situation. FIFA warned that all Swiss teams could be banned from international games if Sion wasn't punished. So, in late 2011, the Swiss Football Association took away 36 points from Sion in the league standings. This moved the club to last place and put them at risk of being relegated.
Despite the 36-point deduction, Sion managed to stay in the Swiss Super League by winning a special relegation match against Aarau. If they hadn't lost those points, they would have finished third in the league and qualified for the 2012–13 UEFA Europa League.
Before the 2012–13 season, Sion signed famous players like Gennaro Gattuso and Kyle Lafferty. However, the team had a tough season and changed coaches three times. They finished in third place.
In the 2014–15 season, Sion finished second, which meant they qualified for the UEFA Europa League group stage for the first time. In the 2015–16 season, they reached the Round of 32 in the Europa League but were knocked out by S.C. Braga.
Relegation and Return
In the 2022–23 season, Sion was relegated to the Swiss Challenge League after losing to Stade Lausanne Ouchy. This ended their 17 years in the top league. However, the very next season, Sion won the Swiss Challenge League for the first time in their history, beating FC Schaffhausen 3–0 on May 20, 2024. This win meant they were promoted back to the Swiss Super League after only one year away!
Club Achievements
Sion was known for never losing a domestic cup final, winning 13 out of 13 Swiss Cup appearances. However, this record ended when they lost to Basel in the 2017 final.
- Swiss Super League
- Champions (2): 1991–92, 1996–97
- Swiss Challenge League
- Champions (1): 2023–24
- Swiss Cup
- Winners (13): 1964–65, 1973–74, 1979–80, 1981–82, 1985–86, 1990–91, 1994–95, 1995–96, 1996–97, 2005–06, 2008–09, 2010–11, 2014–15
Stadium
Sion plays its home matches at the Stade Tourbillon. This stadium can be used for different sports and has space for 14,500 fans. It was first built in 1968 and was updated in 1989 and 2012. The club also has a training center near its office in Martigny and a youth training center in Riddes.
Players
Current Squad
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Players on Loan
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Famous Former Players
Izzet Akgül
Alex Song
Roberts Uldriķis
Mario Balotelli- Gennaro Gattuso
Adryan- Matheus Cunha
Wylan Cyprien
Club Leaders
| Position | Staff |
|---|---|
| President |  Christian Constantin |
| Vice-president | Gelson Fernandes |
| Chief Executive Officer | Massimo Cosentino |
| Sporting CEO | Barthélémy Constantin |
| Team Manager | Christian Lurati |
| Manager | Didier Tholot |
| Assistant manager | Lucien Duverne |
| First-team coach | François Bastien |
| Goalkeeping coach | Pierre De Kalbermatten Massimo Colomba |
| Fitness coach | Mattia Garrone |
| Video analyst | Antoine Monsieur |
| Director of Development | Pablo Iglesias |
| Club doctor | Baptiste Graoully |
| Physiotherapist | Raoul Caserne Simon Herzhaft Étienne Sommelier Luca Valente Paolo Bilello Yoann Demangeot |
| Masseur | Malk Husseine |
| Kit Manager | Felix Volken |
European Matches
FC Sion has played in several European football competitions over the years. They have faced teams from many different countries.
| Season | Competition | Round | Opponents | Home | Away | Aggregate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965–66 | European Cup Winners' Cup | 1R |  Galatasaray |
5–1 | 1–2 | 6–3 |
| 2R |  1. FC Magdeburg |
2–2 | 1–8 | 3–10 | ||
| 1973–74 | UEFA Cup | 1R | Lazio |
3–1 | 0–3 | 3–4 |
| 1974–75 | European Cup Winners' Cup | 1R |  Malmö FF |
1–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 (pks) |
| 1980–81 | European Cup Winners' Cup | 1R |  Haugar |
1–1 | 0–2 | 1–3 |
| 1982–83 | European Cup Winners' Cup | PR |  Aberdeen |
1–4 | 0–7 | 1–11 |
| 1984–85 | UEFA Cup | 1R |  Atlético Madrid |
1–0 | 3–2 | 4–2 |
| 2R |  Željezničar |
1–1 | 1–2 | 2–3 | ||
| 1986–87 | European Cup Winners' Cup | 1R | Aberdeen |
3–0 | 1–2 | 4–2 |
| 2R |  Katowice |
3–0 | 2–2 | 5–2 | ||
| QF | Lokomotiv Leipzig |
0–0 | 0–2 | 0–2 | ||
| 1987–88 | UEFA Cup | 1R | Velež Mostar |
3–0 | 0–5 | 3–5 |
| 1989–90 | UEFA Cup | 1R |  Iraklis |
2–0 | 0–1 | 2–1 |
| 2R | FC Karl-Marx-Stadt |
2–1 | 1–4 | 3–5 | ||
| 1991–92 | European Cup Winners' Cup | 1R |  Valur |
1–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 |
| 2R |  Feyenoord |
0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 (3–5pks) | ||
| 1992–93 | UEFA Champions League | 1R |  Tavriya Simferopol |
4–1 | 3–1 | 7–2 |
| 2R |  Porto |
2–2 | 0–4 | 2–6 | ||
| 1994–95 | UEFA Cup | 1R |  Apollon Limassol |
2–3 | 3–1 | 5–4 (aet) |
| 2R | Marseille |
2–0 | 1–3 | 3–3 (a) | ||
| 3R | Nantes |
2–2 | 0–4 | 2–6 | ||
| 1995–96 | European Cup Winners' Cup | QR |  Tiligul Tiraspol |
3–2 | 0–0 | 3–2 |
| 1R | AEK Athens |
2–2 | 0–2 | 2–4 | ||
| 1996–97 | European Cup Winners' Cup | QR |  Kareda Šiauliai |
4–2 | 0–0 | 4–2 |
| 1R | Nyva Vinnytsia |
2–0 | 4–0 | 6–0 | ||
| 2R |  Liverpool |
1–2 | 3–6 | 4–8 | ||
| 1997–98 | UEFA Champions League | 1Q |  Jeunesse Esch |
4–0 | 1–0 | 5–0 |
| 2Q | Galatasaray |
1–4 | 1–4 | 2–8 | ||
| UEFA Cup | 1R |  Spartak Moscow |
0–1 | 1–5 | 1–6 | |
| 2006–07 | UEFA Cup | 2Q |  SV Ried |
1–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 |
| 1R |  Bayer Leverkusen |
0–0 | 1–3 | 1–3 | ||
| 2007–08 | UEFA Cup | 2Q | SV Ried |
3–0 | 1–1 | 4–1 |
| 1R | Galatasaray |
3–2 | 1–5 | 4–7 | ||
| 2009–10 | UEFA Europa League | PO | Fenerbahçe |
0–2 | 2–2 | 2–4 |
| 2011–12 | UEFA Europa League | PO | Celtic |
0–3 | 0–3 | 0–6 |
| 2015–16 | UEFA Europa League | Group B | Rubin Kazan |
2–1 | 0–2 | 2nd |
| Liverpool |
0–0 | 1–1 | ||||
| Bordeaux |
1–1 | 1–0 | ||||
| R32 | Braga |
1–2 | 2–2 | 3–4 | ||
| 2017–18 | UEFA Europa League | 3Q | Sūduva Marijampolė |
1–1 | 0–3 | 1–4 |
See also
In Spanish: Football Club Sion para niños
