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Fortuna Köln
SC Fortuna Koeln Logo since 2019.svg
Full name Sport-Club Fortuna Köln e.V.
Founded 1948; 76 years ago (1948)
Ground Südstadion
Ground Capacity 11,748
Chairman Hanns-Jörg Westendorf
Head coach Markus von Ahlen
League Regionalliga West
2022–23 6th

SC Fortuna Köln is a German association football club based in the city of Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia.

History

Logo SV Victoria Köln
Logo of predecessor side Victoria Köln 1911
Fortuna Köln Performance Chart
Historical chart of Fortuna league performance

The club was formed as on 21 February 1948 through the merger of three local sides: Victoria Köln 1911 (one of two clubs to bear the name), Bayenthaler SV 1920, and Sparkassen-Verein Köln 1927. Of these clubs, Victoria had the best results, winning its way to the first division of the Gauliga Köln-Aachen in 1941 and capturing the division title there the following season. Bayenthaler SV 1920 side also spent a season in the Gauliga in 1943–44 before the division collapsed as war overtook the region. In 1976, SC Fortuna Köln was joined by FC Alter Markt Köln.

Through most of the last four decades Fortuna has played as a second division side. Highlights of the club's history include promotion to the Bundesliga for the 1974 season and an impressive run through the 1983 DFB-Pokal. The team took out SC Freiburg in the first round and eked out a win on penalties over SSV Ulm 1846 in their next match. They then eliminated three first division sides in a row: first Eintracht Braunschweig and Borussia Mönchengladbach, before crushing Borussia Dortmund 5–0 in their semi-final match. This put them into the final against hometown rivals 1. FC Köln, the first time the Cup final had come down to a local derby. Although they outplayed their opposition, Fortuna's magic had run out and they lost 0–1 on a late goal by Pierre Littbarski.

In 1986, the side came close to a return to the Bundesliga, but was beaten by Borussia Dortmund in the promotion round. Each team had won their home match in a two-game series, which forced a third contest under the rules in effect at the time. Instead of advancing on the strength of away goals, Fortuna was crushed 0–8 by Borussia Dortmund. A handful of seasons later the club avoided relegation to third tier football at the end of the 1991–92 schedule only when division rivals Blau-Weiß 90 Berlin were denied a licence.

One of the key features of Fortuna's history was the presidency of deep-pocketed Jean Löring. Beginning in 1967, the millionaire's support of the club helped them to continue to field competitive sides for much longer than they might otherwise have. In 1982, he even helped out in another way: trained as an electrician, he personally fixed the floodlights when they failed during a match against SV Darmstadt 98 so the game could go on. Löring, who had been an Oberliga player himself with Alemannia Aachen in his younger years, was ousted as president in 2000 and the club soon deteriorated. In 2005 the club failed financially and was forced to withdraw from league play.

Since 2008, the club has been owned (like Ebbsfleet United F.C.) partially by the web-based venture deinfussballclub.de. Until 2008, the SCF played in the fifth division Verbandsliga Mittelrhein, gaining promotion with a second place finish to the new Oberliga Nordrhein-Westfalen. Fortuna Köln finished Oberliga as ninth in 2008–09, as 15th in 2009–10 season and as third in 2010–2011 saison. From the 2011–12 season the club played in the Regionalliga West until in 2014 they won that league and beat the second team of Bayern Munich to get promoted to the German third league.

Despite insolvency, the club was able to salvage its youth department, one of the largest in Germany with over 500 players on 25 teams, through a fundraising campaign organized by the former chairman Egbert Bischoff that included a benefit game against 1. FC Köln.

Recent chairman Klaus Ulonska once competed in the 1962 European Championships in Athletics, co-winning the 4 × 100 m Relay.

Honours

League

  • Regionalliga West (IV)
    • Winners: 2013–14
  • Verbandsliga Mittelrhein (V)
    • Winners: 2007–08

Cups

  • DFB-Pokal
    • Runners-up: 1982–83
  • Middle Rhine Cup
    • Winners: 2012–13

Players

Current squad

No. Position Player
1 Germany GK André Weis (captain)
3 Germany DF Angelo Langer
4 Germany DF Dominik Lanius
5 Germany DF Tim Brdaric
7 Germany MF Kingsley Sarpei
8 Croatia MF Stipe Batarilo
9 Germany FW Leon Demaj
10 Germany MF Maik Kegel
11 Germany FW Marvin Mika
14 Germany MF Henri Matter
17 Germany MF Arnold Budimbu
18 Germany DF Finn Bauens
No. Position Player
19 Germany FW Justin Steinkötter
20 Poland MF Adrian Stanilewicz
21 Germany MF Waiss Ezami
23 Germany MF Joel Vieting
25 Germany MF Timo Hölscher
26 Germany DF Younes Derbali
27 Germany FW Gianluis Di Fine
29 Germany FW Danny Breitfelder
30 Germany GK Lennart Winkler
32 Germany DF Jonas Scholz
33 Germany GK Felix Buer

Recent seasons

The recent season-by-season performance of the club:

Year Division Tier Position
1967–68 Regionalliga West II 16th
1972–73 Regionalliga West II 2nd ↑
1973–74 1. Bundesliga I 17th ↓
1999–2000 2. Bundesliga II 16th ↓
2000–01 Regionalliga Nord III 4th
2001–02 Regionalliga Nord 18th ↓
2002–03 Oberliga Nordrhein IV 10th
2003–04 Oberliga Nordrhein 8th
2004–05 Oberliga Nordrhein 18th ↓
2005–06 Verbandsliga Mittelrhein V 7th
2006–07 Verbandsliga Mittelrhein 9th
2007–08 Verbandsliga Mittelrhein 2nd ↑
2008–09 NRW-Liga V 9th
2009–10 NRW-Liga 14th
2010–11 NRW-Liga 3rd ↑
2011–12 Regionalliga West IV 7th
2012–13 Regionalliga West 2nd
2013–14 Regionalliga West 1st ↑
2014–15 3. Liga III 14th
2015–16 3. Liga 11th
2016–17 3. Liga 16th
2017–18 3. Liga 8th
2018–19 3. Liga 19th ↓
2019–20 Regionalliga West IV 10th
2020–21 Regionalliga West 4th
2021–22 Regionalliga West 5th
2022–23 Regionalliga West 6th
Key
Promoted Relegated

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Fortuna Colonia para niños

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