The beginnings of Swiss football were bumpy. On and off the pitch.
The beginnings of Swiss football were bumpy. On and off the pitch. Swiss National Museum

When The Beautiful Game was still quite grim

In the early days, Swiss football had to contend with some unusual challenges. Stakes in the middle of the pitch, a lack of opponents and mockery and derision in the daily press. A look back at the difficult start of the sport on grass.

Mämä Sykora

Mämä Sykora

Mämä Sykora is editor-in-chief of the football magazine ‘Zwölf’.

Since the 2023-2024 season, the Swiss football championship is divided into two groups for the decisive phase after 33 rounds: In the "Championship Group", the top six teams battle it out for the title and the European Cup spots; in the "Relegation Group" it's all about staying in the Super League. Opinions are divided on this new mode. Nevertheless, the stadiums are full, tens of thousands watch the games on TV, garnished with super slow motion, interval interviews and interventions by the video assistant referee (VAR). Shortly after the end of the match, experts analyse the key scenes and the protagonists answer questions from the media. Internet forums and social media are the centre of heated debate. The Beautiful Game is omnipresent. What a contrast to the early days of football in this country! When the first official championship was launched in the summer of 1898, only a small fraction of the population was interested in this new, frowned-upon sport on grass, which, unlike noble gymnastics, was considered boorish. And the players had to contend with countless obstacles: molehills on the pitch, incomplete teams, referees with no knowledge of the rules, extravagant club parties.
Early football was also a battle against molehills and mouse holes. Football players in western Switzerland, around 1900.
Early football was also a battle against molehills and mouse holes. Football players in western Switzerland, around 1900. Swiss National Museum
It was mainly British students who brought football from their home country to Switzerland. Football clubs were founded all over Switzerland from St. Gallen to Geneva at the end of the 19th century. However, the “new” sport had many obstacles to overcome. For example, finding a suitable pitch. The clubs often had to play on pitches that were little better than plain farmland. In addition, they were hardly ever allowed to stay on one pitch for long. This not only made it difficult to play with the heavy boots of the time, but also to inform the opponents of the venue and kick-off time in good time. As a result, it was not uncommon for them to arrive late or not at all.
Football boots of Ricardo Zamora, active between 1914 and 1938.
Football boots of Ricardo Zamora, active between 1914 and 1938. Wikimedia
While the established newspapers initially deliberately ignored football, the Schweizer Sportblatt, the first sports newspaper in German-speaking Switzerland, not only covered results and tables, but also reported weekly on curiosities from the pioneering days of local football. Published by the first FCZ president Hans Enderli, the weekly sports paper cost 5 francs a year, but had to be discontinued after just over two years due to financial problems. Here is a small selection of stories that seem rather bizarre from today's perspective.

Delays and problems with space

Anglo-American F. C. versus F. C. Basel, match report from 14 March 1899: “The Anglos, who had only been able to notify part of their team, were therefore only 7 men when the game began, and only made up the full eleven as the game progressed; there were also substitutes in Basel's team, as some only arrived on a later train; the appointed referee was not on hand because it had been appointed for the afternoon; the crowd consisted of around 10-20 spectators! It's been a long time since such an important match has been played under such circumstances.” The fact that the Anglo-American F. C. won 10-0 despite a shortage of personnel shows the Ango-Saxon superiority in this sport. Even on Swiss soil. The pitches were anything but good, as a report from 10 May 1899 shows: “I have to say right away that this pitch is completely unsuitable for football because, firstly, it is far too short in relation to its width and, secondly, a landmark standing in the pitch as well as a pole over ½ metre high, which could be dangerous for the players. Surely, another place could be found.”
At the end of the article, the referee is thanked, which is rather unusual in football.
At the end of the article, the referee is thanked, which is rather unusual in football. e-periodica
In December 1898, the players of the Anglo-American F. C. and the F. C. Zurich struggled with the pitfalls of nature: “The match took place on the neutral pitch of the Grasshopper F. C.. The ground was extremely poor due to the rainfall the day before; the players had to constantly carry at least 1-2 kg of dung on their feet, which was of course extremely tiring. In addition, there were fresh molehills up to 20 cm high all over the pitch, which of course impaired the game.” While they struggled with animal dung in Zurich, the trees around the pitch hinder the game in Neuchâtel: “The pitch is completely unsuited for matches; firstly, it's too narrow, and secondly, the trees around it really hinder the game, as you have to take a 10-minute break during the match to get the ball down from the trees!”

The thing with the rules

Anyone who thinks that constantly complaining and lamenting to the referee is a new-fangled phenomenon in football is mistaken. In countless match reports in the Sportblatt, there is talk of protesting players or even cancelled games. The fact that not everyone involved – from spectators to players to referees – was familiar with the constantly changing rules, added to the confusion at the time. There were already heated discussions during the first official Swiss football championship of 1898/99. The final between the Anglo-American F. C. and the Old Boys Basel was refereed by a certain John Tollmann. From Basel! Founding member of the local football club! Goalkeeper for the F. C. Basel! Unthinkable today! Incidentally, the Anglos clearly won 7-0.
F. C. Basel team photo from 1898 with John Tollmann (centre row, sixth from left).
F. C. Basel team photo from 1898 with John Tollmann (centre row, sixth from left). Estate of Jules Düblin, Ehrentor Foundation (Network Museum FC Basel 1893)
More difficult for Tollmann was the previous match, Old Boys Basel against Grasshoppers, which he also refereed. This is an excerpt from the Sportblatt of 26 April 1898: “It is 3 minutes to time. Schmid, captain of the 'Grasshoppers', complains that the goal was off-side and, as referee Mr Tollmann insists on his decision, stops the game and declares the match invalid. In the ensuing discussion, it was agreed that the referee should refer the matter to the Association, whose decision was eagerly awaited. The match may have to be replayed.” It was not, and the Old Boys went on to play the final against the Anglos.
The Swiss football champions of 1899 was the Anglo-American F. C..
The Swiss football champions of 1899 was the Anglo-American F. C.. e-periodica

A lively club life

There was nothing for the players to earn back then. Football was physical exercise for them. Club life, which at the time included lavish parties, was not to be neglected. Friendly relations usually prevailed between the clubs. F. C. Basel, for example, picked up their opponents from the railway station and invited them to a “Frühschoppen” (morning pint) in the Restaurant Storchen. In many places, people continued drinking together after the final whistle. For example, the Sportblatt reports on a “cosy get-together” after the match between F. C. Biel and A. C. Bern in the Restaurant de la Poste, “which became so cosy that some people found the journey home rather difficult.” However, there were sometimes disagreements about how clubs should be organised. Even sharing a glass doesn't help there. For example, when there is no match at all: “The match between F.-C. Zurich and F.-C. Winterthur, which should have taken place last Sunday in Winterthur, was postponed to next Sunday because Zurich refused to play against a team of which only four players are resident in Winterthur, while the others live in Zurich and Basel.”
Total club life: Recording of the FCZ yodelling quartet with Hans Enderli, around 1920. YouTube
On a “field” in Zurich in 1899, the Anglo-American F. C. became Switzerland's first official football champion. Only a few Brits, who cheered for the Anglos during the game, were witness to this histoirc moment. Neither the press, with the exception of the Sportblatt of course, nor the general public were interested in this still young sport. As late as 1905, the Bote vom Untersee und Rhein newspaper wrote that football was invariably vulgar and that no strict discipline was observed. At that time, "The Beautiful Game" was grim at best!

"Schweizer Sportblatt" newspaper digitised

The Schweizer Sportblatt existed from 1898 to 1900. The Museum of the FC Zurich owns a complete collection of the newspaper. This has been digitised by ETH Zurich and is publicly accessible on e-periodica.

Published on: 02.05.2024

URL: https://blog.nationalmuseum.ch/en/2024/05/when-the-beautiful-game-was-grim/

More of: Modern Age20th / 21st centurySportsFootballArticle

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