The 1999–2000 season was FC Zürich's 103rd season in their existence, since their foundation in 1896. It was their tenth consecutive season in the top flight of Swiss football, following their promotion at the end of the 1989–90 season.
Overview The local businessman Sven Hotz was the club's chairman and patron at this time. He had taken over as club president at the AGM in 1986. Raimondo Ponte had been the FCZ first team head-coach during the previous four and a quarter seasons and Hotz prolonged the contract with Ponte for a further season. The FCZ first team competed in this years domestic first-tier 1999–2000 Nationalliga A with the clear intention of retaining their top level status and reaching the championship group for the second half of the season. The team also competed in 1999–2000 Swiss Cup. At the end of the previous league season FCZ found themselves in the unloved fourth position in the table, one position behind the UEFA Cup qualifying round slot. However, as the Cup winners, Lausanne-Sport, finished in third position in the table, the UEFA Cup qualifying slot was passed down to the next placed team, thus FCZ profitised and qualified for the UEFA Cup. They did not enter the 1998 Intertoto Cup. The club announced that their aims for the team this season was to reach the top three positions in the league and challenge for the championship title, further to win the domestic cup competition and thus qualify for one of the UEFA European tournaments.
FCZ played their home games in the Letzigrund, a stadium also used by the athletics club . The stadium originally opened in 1925, was partially rebuilt in 1973 and was modernised during the mid-90's. The stadium is located in the west of Zurich in the district of Altstetten, which is about three kilometers from the city center.
During the early spring period, there was a trainer change. Head-coach Raimondo Ponte was fired and he was replaced by Gilbert Gress. Ponte's firing by club president Sven Hotz came as a direct consequence of a notorious administrative blunder. On 12 December 1999, Ponte accidentally listed eight foreign players on the match sheet instead of the maximum allowed seven. A hard-fought 1–1 draw on the last day of the qualification phase, against Neuchâtel Xamax, was subsequently overturned by the Swiss Football Association and was awarded as a 0–3 forfeit loss, plummeting FCZ out of the championship round and into the relegation playoffs. Following a poor run of form in the relegation round, capped by a 1–2 home defeat against FC Baden, Ponte was officially dismissed. Ponte was caught by journalistists, as he climbed out the window after the decision had been publisised, as he left his office.
Players The following is the list of the FCZ first team squad this season. It also includes players that were in the squad the day the domestic league season started, on 7 July 1999, but subsequently left the club after that date.
Players who left the squad The following is the list of the FCZ first team players that left the squad during the previous season or in the off-season, before the new domestic season began.
Results Legend
Nationalliga A
Qualification phase The first stage of the NLA began on 7 July 1999 and was completed on 12 December. The top eight teams in the qualification phase would advance to the championship group and the last four teams would play against relegation.
Qualification table
Promotion/relegation group NLA/NLB The teams in the ninth to twelfth positions in Nationalliga A competed with the top four teams of Nationalliga B in a Nationalliga A/B promotion/relegation round. This phase began on 12 March 2000 and was completed on 7 June.
Final table
Swiss Cup
The 1999–2000 Swiss Cup was the 75th season of Switzerland's annual football cup competition. It began on 7 August with the first games of Round 1 and ended on 28 May 2000 with the Final held at Wankdorf, Bern. The winners earned a place in the first round of the UEFA Cup. The 12 first-tier clubs from the 1999–2000 Nationalliga A had been granted byes for the first four rounds and they joined the competition in the fifth round on 13/14 November. The first-tier teams in round 5 were seeded and cound not be drawn against each other. The draw respected regionalities, when possible, and the lower classed team was granted home advantage.
Zürich won the cup and this was the club's sixth cup title to this date.
UEFA Cup
Qualifying round The qualifying round matches of the 1999–2000 UEFA Cup were played on 12 and 26 August 2000.
Zürich won 4–0 on aggregate.
First round
Zürich won 5–3 on aggregate.
Second round
Newcastle United won 5–2 on aggregate.
Friendly matches Pre-season
Winter break
References
Sources dbFCZ Homepage Switzerland 1999–2000 at RSSSF