 | ||||
| Full name | Chemnitzer Fußballclub e.V. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname | Die Himmelblauen (Sky Blues) | |||
| Founded | 15 January 1966; 59 years ago (1966-01-15) | |||
| Ground | Stadion an der Gellertstraße | |||
| Capacity | 15,200[contradictory][citation needed] | |||
| Manager | Michael Reichardt | |||
| Coach | Benjamin Duda | |||
| League | Regionalliga Nordost (IV) | |||
| 2024–25 | Regionalliga Nordost, 7th of 18 | |||
| Website | chemnitzerfc.de | |||
Chemnitzer Fußballclub e.V. is aGerman association football club based inChemnitz, Saxony. The club competes inRegionalliga Nordost, the fourth tier of German football.
The roots of the club go back to its establishment as Chemnitzer BC 1933, following the financial collapse of former Chemnitzer BC 1899.
The club was initially formed by students fromMittweida as Chemnitzer SC Britannia on 2 December 1899.
On 28 January 1900, Chemnitzer SC Britannia was afounding member of theGerman Football Association (DFB) inLeipzig. During April the same year, the club changed its name toChemnitzer BC 1899.
On 8 August 1903, the club became a founding member of the Verband Chemnitzer Fußball-Vereine (VCFV). This local federation was included into the Verband Mitteldeutscher Fußball-Vereine (VMBV), the great regional federation of Central Germany, two years later.
Until 1933, Chemnitzer BC were a strong side of the VMBV leagues. They took part in the WMBV's final round fifteen times, reaching the final once in 1927. Despite a 0–4 defeat againstVfB Leipzig, Chemnitz qualified for the1927 German football championship as vice-champions, where they lost in the first round against eventual champions1. FC Nürnberg, 1–5.
In 1933, Chemnitzer BC 1899 came into financial difficulties.[vague] Despite a merger with local rivals SC Sachsen 1909 Chemnitz, bankruptcy andliquidation could not be avoided. The side was then immediately re-formed under the name Chemnitzer BC 1933, which assumed the history of the old club. CBC 1933 were part of theGauliga Saxony until the end ofWorld War II.
In the aftermath of the conflict, most organizations in Germany, including sports and football clubs, were dissolved by the Allied occupation authorities. The side was re-established in 1945 as SG Chemnitz Nord before, as it was common inEast German football at the time, undergoing a number of name changes, from BSG Fewa Chemnitz in 1948 to BSG Chemie Chemnitz in 1951. Upon the renaming of the city ofChemnitz to Karl-Marx-Stadt in 1953, the club followed suit and assumed the new city name as well. In 1956, the football club was attached to the larger centralized sports club SC Motor Karl-Marx-Stadt, which was in turn renamed SC Karl-Marx-Stadt in 1963. The football department was then once again separated from the sports club asFC Karl-Marx-Stadt in 1966, under a government plan to establish a number offootball clubs as centres throughout the country intended to identify and develop talent in support of a strong national side. When the city re-claimed its original name in 1991, the team followed suit to become Chemnitzer FC.
After joining theDDR-Oberliga for the1962–63 season, the club generally earned uninspiring results, most often finishing in the lower half of the league table. They managed a surprising East German championship win at the end of the1966–67 season, and were runners-up in the East German Cup (FDGB Cup) in 1969, 1983 and 1989. The club enjoyed its best international turn in 1989, advancing through two preliminary rounds to the Round of 16 of the1989–90 UEFA Cup before being knocked out againstJuventus. In the same season the team finished as runners-up in the East German championship, second toDynamo Dresden on goal differential.
AfterGerman reunification in 1990, Chemnitzer FC qualified for the2. Bundesliga at the end of the1990–91 NOFV-Oberliga. Beginning with the1991–92 season, Chemnitz spent five years in the second tier of German football until being relegated to the then third-tierRegionalliga in 1996, and also advanced to the semi-final of the1992–93 DFB-Pokal during this time. Since then, the importance of the club has faded. The following four years were evenly split between the Regionalliga and the 2. Bundesliga, before eventually being relegated back to the Regionalliga (III) in 2001, and subsequently to theNOFV-Oberliga Süd (IV) in 2006. The last couple of years, however, saw the club slowly rising through the German league system once again with promotions to the now fourth-tier Regionalliga in 2008 and the3. Liga in 2011. In 2018, the club was relegated to the fourth league.[1][2]
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In 2019 the club was at the centre of a controversy after the club, some of its players and fans paid tribute to Thomas Haller, a prominentfar-right activist, before kick-off againstVSG Altglienicke at home on 9 March 2019. Haller, who provided security for the club and co-foundedHooNaRa (Hooligans-Nazis-Racists) in the 1990s received a minute's silence, while a picture of Haller was displayed on a large screen at the stadium.[3] Chemnitzer FC forwardDaniel Frahn held up a shirt honouring Haller and other "local hooligans". The club's chief executive, Thomas Uhlig, resigned as a result of the controversy, and Sparkasse Chemnitz said it would no longer sponsor the club after the end of that season.[4]
The incident led to a four-match suspension and a €3,000 fine for Chemnitzer FC strikerDaniel Frahn, who had held up a "Support your local hools!" T-shirt during the tribute to Haller. In August that year, while sidelined with injury, Frahn was seen among supporters affiliated with far-right groups such as 'Kaotic Chemnitz' and the now-defunct 'NS Boys' during a match against Hallescher FC. The club responded by terminating his contract for "massive club-damaging behaviour", citing his apparent sympathy with extremist fan elements.[5]
The dismissal provoked support for Frahn from a portion of the fanbase, some of whom chanted racist and anti-Semitic slogans at subsequent matches. Frahn issued a public statement denying far-right affiliations and condemning the offensive chants, which included "at least Daniel Frahn isn't a negro" and "Thomas Sobotzik, you Jewish pig".[6] He said his intent had been to maintain strong ties with supporters, not to endorse extremist ideologies. Nonetheless, the club lodged police complaints over the chants and affirmed its opposition to discrimination. Chemnitz, where the club is based, has shown significant far-right electoral support, with theAlternative for Germany gaining 23.5% of the vote locally in the2019 European Parliament election in Germany. Nevertheless, Chemnitzer FC has publicly committed to promoting inclusivity and distancing itself from extremist influences.[6]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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The recent season-by-season performance of the club:[1][2]
| Year | Division | Tier | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999–00 | 2. Bundesliga | II | 11th |
| 2000–01 | 2. Bundesliga | 18th ↓ | |
| 2001–02 | Regionalliga Nord | III | 6th |
| 2002–03 | Regionalliga Nord | 11th | |
| 2003–04 | Regionalliga Nord | 11th | |
| 2004–05 | Regionalliga Nord | 15th | |
| 2005–06 | Regionalliga Nord | 19th ↓ | |
| 2006–07 | NOFV-Oberliga Süd | IV | 2nd |
| 2007–08 | NOFV-Oberliga Süd | 2nd ↑ | |
| 2008–09 | Regionalliga Nord | 7th | |
| 2009–10 | Regionalliga Nord | 3rd | |
| 2010–11 | Regionalliga Nord | 1st ↑ | |
| 2011–12 | 3. Liga | III | 6th |
| 2012–13 | 3. Liga | 9th | |
| 2013–14 | 3. Liga | 12th | |
| 2014–15 | 3. Liga | 5th | |
| 2015–16 | 3. Liga | 6th | |
| 2016–17 | 3. Liga | 8th | |
| 2017–18 | 3. Liga | 19th ↓ | |
| 2018–19 | Regionalliga Nordost | IV | 1st ↑ |
| 2019–20 | 3. Liga | III | 17th ↓ |
| 2020–21 | Regionalliga Nordost | IV | 10th |
| 2021–22 | Regionalliga Nordost | 5th |
| ↑Promoted | ↓Relegated |
Theclub's reserve team,Chemnitzer FC II, most recently played in the tier fiveNOFV-Oberliga Süd. It first played at this level from 1993 to 1998 with a runners-up finish in 1996 as its best result. After relegation and an absence of thirteen seasons the team returned to the Oberliga in 2010.[1][8] The club announced that it would withdraw its reserve team at the end of the 2014–15 season.[9]
The team also made a losing appearance in the 1996Saxony Cup final.
Chemnitzer FC plays in the club-ownedStadion an der Gellertstraße which has a capacity of 16,061 spectators (~540 seats).[contradictory] Until 1990, the facility was officially known as "Dr. Kurt-Fischer-Stadion", or locally as the "Fischerwiese". During its2. Bundesliga seasons, the club also made use of the largerChemnitzer Sportforum, which has a capacity of over 19,000.
