History of FC Basel (1918–1939)

Having competed at the highest level of football in Switzerland for most of this time, FCB currently play in the Swiss Super League.

For details on other individual periods of the club's history, see the following articles: World War I was still being fought as the Swiss season started.

The war ended on 1 November 1918 and six months later, on 18 May 1919 Basel hosted their only foreign opponents, the German team Freiburger FC.

The former Hungarian international footballer Alfréd Schaffer joined Basel in April 1920 and played in 19 test matches and one league games, during which he scored a total of 27 goals.

Just before the end of the season Basel made a tour of north Germany and played three games in four days against Hannover 96, Victoria Hamburg and Kieler SV Holstein.

It came to some massive disagreements between Basel manager Breunig's co-trainer Mr Sutter, the players of both teams and some fans.

Another outrage and scandal was that the team Young Boys sportingly ended the season as Central group winners.

Basel played a mediocre season, winning eight matches, drawing three and suffering five defeats, scoring 29 goals and conceding 26.

In this season's Swiss Cup Basel were drawn against Young Fellows Zürich in the first round and were eliminated because they lost 0–1.

The decision to employ a professional football trainer/manager was made because FC Basel had slipped well below the level of their local rivals Nordstern, who had qualified for the finals three times in the last five years.

Concordia continued the competition and reached the semi-final, there losing to Urania Genève Sport, who won the final against Young Boys 1–0, which was played in the Stade de Frontenex in Geneva.

The first five games were won straight off, including a 5–1 in Solothurn, a 4–1 against both FC Bern and Grenchen, a 3–0 against Aarau and a 1–0 victory against local rivals Old Boys.

But the team continued their good run in the new year, beating Solothurn 4–1 and even managing a 9–2 against FC Bern.

In the last game of the season a defeat against Nordstern nearly cost them their place within the top two, because now these two teams were level on points.

In the preliminary round of the Swiss Cup Basel were drawn at home against FC Locarno and they lost the game after extra time.

Fellow Austrian international Otto Haftl signed in from AC Sparta Prague to the team becoming Basel's first ever foreign fully professional football player.

In the second half of the season things improved and with six victories in the last seven games Basel were able to rise from the foot of the table.

[19] In the first principal round of the Swiss Cup Basel were drawn away against and defeated lower classed SC Veltheim.

Basel won 4–3 defeating arch-rivals and reigning cup-holders Grasshoppers in what is still considered to be one of the best cup finals in Swiss football history.

He died because of his illness during the evening of 26 November 1933, only hours the team's victory in the away game against Blue Stars Zürich.

Then in March Basel caught their form and improved again to finish their Nationalliga season in fifth position in the table, with 15 victories from the 30 games and 36 points.

In the first principal round of the Swiss Cup Basel were drawn at home against and defeated lower tier Solothurn.

Then in the quarter-final on 4 February 1934 Basel were defeated by Locarno and that fits, timely, completely into the entire picture of the season's evolution.

In the 1st principal round of the Swiss Cup Basel were drawn at home in the Landhof against lower tier Luzern.

Only thanks to four consecutive victories towards the end of the campaign lifted the team to finish in joint second last position in the league table.

The replay was played in the Stadion Neufeld in Bern on 20 June 1937 and ended in a 1–0 victory for Basel and so they prevented relegation at the last possible moment.

The young forward Numa Monnard, who had transferred in at the beginning of the season from Cantonal Neuchatel, was the team's top goal scorer.

In the first principal round of the Swiss Cup, as Basel played against lower tier FC Breite, Numa Monnard scored five times.

According to statements in the 75th anniversary book written years later by author Jules Düblin (ex-player and ex-club chairman) the club had problems with the Swiss Football Association (ASF-SFA).

These were mainly due to the transfer of the player Numa Monnard, who at the start of the season returned to his former club Cantonal Neuchatel.