FC Lausanne-Sport

History

19th century

The club was founded in 1896 under the name of Montriond Lausanne. However, the Lausanne Football and Cricket Club was established in 1860, believed to be the oldest football club on the European continent by some historians.

20th century

The club took the name Lausanne-Sports FC in 1920 after the football section merged with the Club Hygiénique de Lausanne, a physical education club. The end of the 1950s and the whole of the 1960s were among the club's finest times. LS won the Swiss Cup twice (1962 and 1964), lost an additional Swiss Cup final to Basel by forfeit, won the Swiss championship (1965) and was runner-up four times (1961, 1962, 1963), as well as in 1969. The year 1965 was the year of the 7th and last Swiss championship title. It was probably the most successful, earning its protagonists the nickname of "Lords of the Night", a reference to some enchanting evenings. Since the advent of the floodlights in the new stadium, the matches have mainly taken place in the evenings which was at the time a unique feature.

21st century

After the 2001–02 season, Lausanne-Sports were relegated because the club did not obtain a first level license for the 2002–03 season. Following the 2002–03 season in the second division, Lausanne-Sports FC were again relegated due to bankruptcy. They were reformed as FC Lausanne-Sport for the 2003–04 season and had to begin play at the fourth tier. The team was promoted in consecutive seasons from the fourth division after the 2003–04 season and the third division after the 2004–05 season. After an additional six years in the second tier of Swiss football, the club was promoted to the Super League for the 2011–12 season for a three-season stay before being relegated in 2014. After two seasons in the second tier the team was promoted for a two-season stay in the top division in 2016 and survived relegation in their first season before being relegated back to the second tier again in 2018. Now somewhat of a yo-yo club the team were promoted to the top tier again in 2020.

Lausanne-Sport qualified for the 2010–11 UEFA Europa League after they reached the 2010 Swiss Cup final against Champions League-qualified Basel. In the 2010–11 Europa League, while still playing in the second tier Challenge League, they performed a shock getting to the group stages beating favourites Lokomotiv Moscow on the way.

Lausanne-Sport were relegated to the Swiss Challenge League at the end of the 2013–14 Swiss Super League season. Two years later, they finished first in the 2015–16 Swiss Challenge League, which promoted them back to the top tier of Swiss football for the 2016–17 season.

On 13 November 2017, the club was acquired by Ineos, a Swiss-based British petrochemicals company owned by Jim Ratcliffe, the nation's wealthiest person. The first transfer under the new ownership was that of Enzo Fernández, son of Zinedine Zidane. However, the season ended with relegation. Ratcliffe's brother Bob became club president in March 2019. The club won promotion back to the top flight as champions of the 2019–20 Swiss Challenge League. On 27 May 2023, Lausanne-Sport secure promotion to Super League from 2023 to 2024 after draw 2–2 against FC Aarau, finished in runner-up and return to top tier after one-year absence. They currently sit 10th place in the Swiss Super League after recently losing out 1-0 to Servette.

In 2024–25 season, Lausanne-Sport secure finish 5th place and qualify to European competition from next season.

On 28 August 2025, Lausanne-Sport secure reach qualify to Conference League League Phase for the first time in their history after defeat Beşiktaş 0–1 on away games and win aggregate 1–2.

Stadium

Lausanne Sport play in new stadium at Stade de la Tuiliere previously stadium Stade Olympique Pontaise.

Honours

League

• Ligue Nationale A/Super League
  • Winners (7): 1912–13, 1931–32, 1934–35, 1935–36, 1943–44, 1950–51, 1964–65
  • Runners-up (8): 1946–47, 1954–55, 1961–62, 1962–63, 1968–69, 1969–70, 1989–90, 1999–2000
• Ligue Nationale B/Challenge League
  • Winners (4): 1931–32, 2010–11, 2015–16, 2019–20
  • Runners-up (1): 2022–23
• 1. Liga Promotion
  • Winners: 2004–05
• 1. Liga Classic
  • Winners: 2003–04

Cups

• Swiss Cup
  • Winners (9): 1934–35, 1938–39, 1943–44, 1949–50, 1961–62, 1963–64, 1980–81, 1997–98, 1998–99
  • Runners-up (8): 1936–37, 1945–46, 1946–47, 1956–57, 1966–67, 1983–84, 1999–2000, 2009–10
• Swiss League Cup
  • Runners-up: 1980–81

Players

Current squad

– Do NOT add new players before their signing is officially announced by the club through their website, including medical and signing the contract. A transfer fee agreed doesn't mean the player will sign. – Do NOT remove players before their exit is officially announced by the club. – Do NOT add or change squad numbers until it is official on the FC Lausanne-Sport website – Only add numberless players that are likely to become part of the first team – Pre-season numbers can be added temporarily with A REFERENCE – This is Wikipedia, not a football newspaper. Anything unconfirmed and unsourced will be removed on sight

Out on loan

Former players

Coaching staff

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Former coaches

• SCO Billy Hunter (1922–23)
• ENG Jimmy Hogan (1925)
• ENG Fred Spiksley (1928)
• SUI Robert Pache (1931–32)
• ENG Jimmy Hogan (1933–34)
• GER Alwin Riemke (1934–35)
• AUT Friedrich Kerr (1939)
• SUI Frank Séchehaye (1942–43)
• SUI Fritz Leonhardt and SUI Georg Baumgartner (1943–45)
• SUI Louis Maurer (1945–50)
• HUN Béla Volentik (1950–51)
• SUI Jacques Spagnoli (1951–53)
• SUI Joseph Schaefer (1953–54)
• NED Bram Appel (1954–55)
• SUI Fernand Jaccard (1955–57)
• AUT Walter Presch (1957–60)
• SUI Albert Châtelain (1960–61)
• SUI Charles Marmier and SUI Frank Séchehaye (1961–62)
• FRA Jean Luciano (1962–64)
• SUI Roger Reymond and SUI Roger Bocquet (1964)
• SUI Roger Reymond (1964–65)
• FRG Kurt Linder (1965–66)
• AUT Wilhelm Hahnemann (1966–67)
• SUI Roger Vonlanthen (1967–72)
• SUI Louis Maurer (1972–74)
• SUI Paul Garbani (1974–76)
• YUG Miroslav Blažević (1976–79)
• SUI Charly Hertig (1979–82)
• HUN Péter Pázmándy (1982–84)
• ROU Radu Nunweiller (1984–87)
• SUI Umberto Barberis (1 August 1987 – 20 June 1993)
• SUI Marc Duvillard (1993–94)
• SUI Martin Trümpler (1 July 1994 – 30 June 1995)
• SUI Georges Bregy (1 July 1995 – 30 September 1997)
• ROU Radu Nunweiller and SUI Pierre-André Schürmann (1998)
• SUI Pierre-André Schürmann (24 October 1998 – 11 December 2000)
• FRA Victor Zvunka (1 July 2000 – 30 June 2001)
• ROU Radu Nunweiller (1 July 2001 – 5 December 2001)
• SUI Umberto Barberis (20 February 2002 – 8 May 2002)
• ESP Pablo Iglesias (2002–03)
• ARG Gabriel Calderón (1 January 2003 – 30 June 2003)
• GER Jochen Dries (2003–04)
• SUI Gérard Castella (1 July 2005 – 24 May 2006)
• SUI Alain Geiger (1 June 2006 – 21 November 2006)
• SUI Paul Garbani and SUI P. Isabella (interim) (24 November 2006 – 11 December 2006)
• SUI Stéphane Hunziker and SUI Patrick Isabella (17 February 2007 – 30 May 2007)
• SUI Umberto Barberis (1 July 2007 – 17 December 2007)
• SUI Thierry Cotting (15 December 2007 – 30 June 2009)
• SUI John Dragani (1 July 2008 – 30 June 2010)
• SUI Árpád Soós (19 March 2010 – 30 June 2010)
• SUI Martin Rueda (1 July 2010 – 30 June 2012)
• FRA Laurent Roussey (1 July 2012 – 21 October 2013)
• SUI Alexandre Comisetti (22 October 2013 – 7 November 2013)
• FRA Henri Atamaniuk (8 November 2013 – 20 June 2014)
• ITA Francesco Gabriele (1 July 2014 – 9 October 2014)
• ITA Marco Simone (13 October 2014 – 24 March 2015)
• SUI Fabio Celestini (24 March 2015 – 2018)
• SUI Giorgio Contini (2018 - 9 June 2021)
• SER Ilija Borenović (10 June 2021 - 4 February 2022)

Recent seasons

Recent season-by-season performance of the club:

;Key

Lausanne-Sports Rowing

Main article: Lausanne-Sports Aviron

Lausanne-Sports Aviron is the rowing club of Lausanne-Sport.

References

References

1. (4 May 2014). "Le FC Lausanne-Sport relégué".
2. (5 May 2016). "Lausanne accède à l'élite".
3. (13 November 2017). "Chemicals giant Ineos buys Swiss football team".
4. (1 January 2018). "Enzo Zidane leaves Alaves for Lausanne revolution". FourFourTwo.
5. (22 March 2019). "After buying Team Sky, Ineos makes change at Lausanne-Sport". [[The Seattle Times]].
6. (3 August 2020). "Bob Ratcliffe: "Tout le monde doit voir le LS comme une équipe de Super League"". RTS.
7. (27 May 2023). "Lausanne-Sport zittert sich ins Oberhaus". [[Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen.
8. "1ère équipe". FC Lausanne-Sport.
9. (24 March 2015). "Le FC Lausanne-Sport limoge Simone et mise sur Celestini".
10. (21 May 2015). "Celestini prolonge trois ans au FC Lausanne-Sport".
11. (9 June 2021). "Giorgio Contini Neuer Cheftrainer Bei GC". Grasshopper Club Zürich.
12. (4 February 2022). "Borenovic nicht mehr Trainer in Lausanne". Swiss Football League.
13. "Archives des saisons – Challenge League".
14. "Archives des saisons – Super League".