AC Bellinzona

AC Bellinzona is a Swiss football club based in Bellinzona. It was founded in 1904, and won the Swiss Super League in 1948. After being folded in 2013 declaring bankruptcy, the team played the Ticino Group of 2.Liga, the sixth tier of the Swiss Football League System in 2014–15 season. After winning it and the 1. Liga Classic, Bellinzona is promoted to 1. Liga Promotion. They currently play in the Swiss Challenge League, the second tier of Swiss football.

Bellinzona
AC Bellinzona logo
Full nameAssociazione Calcio Bellinzona
Nickname(s)Granata (Maroon)
Founded1904
GroundStadio Comunale Bellinzona, Bellinzona, Switzerland
Capacity5,000 (600 seated)
ChairmanPaolo Righetti
ManagerBaldo Raineri
LeagueChallenge League
2021–22Promotion League,
1st (promoted)
WebsiteClub website

History
Chart of AC Bellinzona table positions in the Swiss football league system

Because Bellinzona is an Italian-speaking region, many of Italy's Serie A clubs have loaned youth players to the club to get first team experience.

Bellinzona was promoted to the Swiss Super League after beating St. Gallen 5–2 on aggregate in the relegation play-off following the 2007–2008 season. Bellinzona played at the top level in the 2008–2009 season for the first time since the 1989–90 season. As finalists in the Swiss Cup, the team also qualified for the 08-09 UEFA Cup where it beat Ararat Yerevan of Armenia in the 1st qualifying round. Then they knocked-out Ukrainian FC Dnipro on away goal rule (2:3 in Dnipropetrovsk, and 2:1 home victory, 4:4 aggregate).[1] In third qualifying round they faced Galatasaray losing both games 3:4 at home ground and 1:2 in Istanbul.[2]

In 2013 before the 2013–14 season of 1. Liga Promotion the club was declared bankrupt.[3] After staying one season playing only at young divisions, the club went back to professional football, joining the 2014–15 2.Liga.[4] After two years in 1. Liga Classic, the club finished first in 2018 and was promoted to the 1. Liga Promotion for the 2018–19 season.

In the 2021-22 Swiss Promotion League, Bellinzona reached second place during the regular season. In the promotion round, they were able eke out a first place finish ahead of FC Breitenrain to gain promotion to the Swiss Challenge League. As Breitenrain withdrew their license request, Bellinzona would have been promoted even had they not won the season.

Honours

Swiss Super League

Swiss Challenge League

  • Champions: 1942–43 (Lost promotion play-off), 1943–44 (Won pronotion play-off), 1975–76, 1979–80, 1999–2000 (Lost promotion play-off)

Swiss Promotion League

  • Champions: 2021–22

1. Liga Classic

  • Champions: 1931–32, 1935–36, 1998–99, 2017–18

2. Liga

  • Champions: 1920–21 (as 4th tier), 2014–15 (as 6th tier)

Players
Main article: List of AC Bellinzona players

Current squad

As of 27 January 2023.[5] Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Switzerland SUI Yuri-Gino Klein
5 DF Uruguay URU Franco Romero
6 MF Uruguay URU Andrés Schetino
7 MF Uruguay URU Cristian Souza
8 MF Uruguay URU Thomás Chacón
10 FW Uruguay URU Sergio Cortelezzi
11 MF Switzerland SUI Matteo Tosetti
12 GK Switzerland SUI Alexander Muci (on loan from Lugano)
13 DF Uruguay URU Guillermo Padula
15 DF Switzerland SUI Serkan Izmirlioglu (on loan from Luzern)
17 DF Switzerland SUI Bruno Morgado
19 FW Switzerland SUI Tresor Samba
20 MF Uruguay URU Matías Ocampo
22 MF Switzerland SUI Siyar Doldur (on loan from Sion)
No. Pos. Nation Player
23 DF Argentina ARG Isaac Monti
27 MF Ivory Coast CIV Eric Tia
28 DF Switzerland SUI Gaetano Berardi
29 MF Switzerland SUI Adrian Durrer (on loan from Lugano)
31 GK Switzerland SUI Jules Cavin
33 MF Turkey TUR Mehmet Manis
37 DF Switzerland SUI Fabio Dixon
47 DF Switzerland SUI Santiago Miranda
72 DF Switzerland SUI Andrea Padula
77 GK Democratic Republic of the Congo COD Joël Kiassumbua
88 MF Italy ITA Tommaso Centinaro (on loan from Lugano)
91 DF Switzerland SUI Dragan Mihajlović
99 FW Uruguay URU Rodrigo Pollero

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
— MF Switzerland SUI Guélor Samba (at FC Paradiso until 31 December 2022)
No. Pos. Nation Player
— FW Switzerland SUI Robin Wildhaber (at UTC until 31 December 2022)

Coaching staff
PositionName
Head coachItaly Baldo Raineri[6]
Assistant coachArgentina Fernando Cocimano[6]
Fitness coachItaly Fabio Scali
Goalkeeper coachItaly Lorenzo Colombo
PhysiotherapistItaly Damiano Longo
DoctorSwitzerland Cristiano Bernasconi

References
  1. "Bellinzona-Dnipro 2009 History | UEFA Europa League". UEFA.com.
  2. "Galatasaray-Bellinzona 2009 History | UEFA Europa League". UEFA.com.
  3. "Konkurseröffnung über AC Bellinzona" (in German). 22 April 2013. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
  4. "Federazione Ticinese di Calcio" (in Italian). Retrieved 3 August 2014.
  5. "SQUADRA" (in Italian). Retrieved 13 November 2020.
  6. "Baldo Raineri wird neuer Trainer der AC Bellinzona". sfl.ch (in German). Swiss Football League. 14 September 2022. Retrieved 14 September 2022.


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