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 Swiss football club. It comes from the city of Sion. The club started in 1909. They play their home games at the Stade Tourbillon. FC Sion has a great record in the Swiss Cup. They have won it 13 times out of 14 finals they played in. Their most recent win was in 2015. The team was promoted from the Swiss Challenge League in the 2023–24 season. This means they are now playing in the Swiss Super League, which is the top football league in Switzerland.
Contents
Club History
FC Sion was founded in 1909 by Robert Gilliard. He became the team's first captain. Their very first match was a 3–2 win against FC Aigle in the same year. The club grew with help from local people. In 1914, they played their first official league game. They won that match 3–2 against FC Monthey. By 1919, the club had a proper management team. Robert Gilliard became the vice-president, and Charles Aymon became the president.
Climbing the Leagues
From 1932, Sion played in the fourth division of Swiss football. They stayed there for about 20 years. They briefly moved up to the third division in 1944 but went back down in 1946. In 1952, Sion returned to the third division. Five years later, they were promoted again to the National League B. Then, just five years after that, in 1962, they reached the top league, the National League A. This league is now known as the Swiss Super League.
In 1965, Sion won its first Swiss Cup. They beat Servette 2–1 in the final. Their home stadium, Stade Tourbillon, opened in August 1968. It can hold 16,263 fans. The club was relegated in 1969 but 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. They won it in 1980, 1982, 1986, and 1991. The Tourbillon stadium was also updated in 1989. The club's biggest success came in 1992 when they won their first Swiss League Championship.
More Trophies and Challenges
FC Sion won the Swiss Cup three years in a row from 1995 to 1997. They beat teams like Grasshopper, Servette, and Luzern. In 1997, they won both the Swiss Cup and the Swiss League. This is called winning a "domestic double."
After this success, the club faced money problems. They almost went bankrupt. However, Gilbert Kadji bought the club and saved it. Despite this, they were relegated in 1999. They returned to the top division the next season. But financial issues continued. In 2001, they were relegated again. The club was then saved by Christian Constantin, an architect and former footballer. He helped the club get back into the second division in 2003.
Constantin worked hard to rebuild the club. He even took on the manager role himself twice. In 2006, Sion was promoted back to the Super League. They also won the Swiss Cup that year. They were the first second-tier team to win the cup. They beat Young Boys in a penalty shootout after a 1–1 draw.
Difficult Times and Comeback
In 2008, FC Sion faced some challenges after signing a player named Essam El Hadary. This led to a ban on registering new players for a period. The club also faced issues with playing in the 2011–12 UEFA Europa League. They were removed from the competition by UEFA because they had used players who were not allowed to play. This was a complicated situation with many legal discussions.
Because of these issues, the Swiss Football Association decided to take away 36 points from Sion in the league standings. This meant the club dropped to last place in the 2011–12 season. Even with the points deduction, Sion managed to stay in the Super League. They won their relegation play-off matches against Aarau. If they hadn't lost those points, they would have finished much higher in the league.
Before the 2012–13 season, Sion signed famous players like Gennaro Gattuso and Kyle Lafferty. However, the season was still tough. They changed coaches several times, with Gattuso eventually taking over as manager.
In the 2014–15 season, Sion finished second in the league. This allowed them to play in the UEFA Europa League Group Stage for the first time. In the 2015–16 Europa League, they reached the Round of 32. They were eventually knocked out by S.C. Braga.
Relegation and Return
In the 2022–23 season, Sion was relegated to the Swiss Challenge League. This ended their 17 years in the top division. However, they quickly bounced back! In the very next season, 2023–24, Sion won the Swiss Challenge League. They beat FC Schaffhausen 3–0 on May 20, 2024, to become champions. This meant they were promoted back to the Swiss Super League after only one year away.
Club Honours
FC Sion used to have a perfect record in the Swiss Cup finals. They won 13 out of 13 until 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 Information
Sion plays its home games at the Stade Tourbillon. This stadium can hold 14,500 people. It was first built in 1968. It was updated in 1989 and again in 2012. The club also has a training center near its office in Martigny. There is also a youth development center in Riddes.
Team Players
Current Squad
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Out 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 Competitions Record
FC Sion has played in several European football competitions. These include the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League. 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 |
0–31 | 0–31 | 0–61 |
| 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 |
- Notes
- Note 1: Celtic made a complaint about some Sion players. These players played in the play-off round, which Sion won 3–1 overall. UEFA agreed with Celtic's complaint. They decided that Celtic should win both matches 3–0. Because of this, Celtic moved on to the UEFA Europa League group stage.
See also
In Spanish: Football Club Sion para niños
