Welcome to the Soccer Tavern, where we’re discussing the history, philosophy, and culture of the beautiful game. My name is Dave and in this video, we’re talking about the history of 1. Fußball-Club Köln 01/07 e. V., better known as FC Köln (FC Cologne). Pull up a seat and let’s start the discussion.
FC Köln is located in the western part of the city of Köln or Cologne in English. Cologne is located in the western part of Germany. The club currently play in the Bundesliga and its home ground is called the RheinEnergieStadion. The stadium opened in 2004 and holds about 50,000 people.
Origin
The club’s official founding date is in 1948, but its history actually begins at the start of the 20th century.
In June of 1901, the Kölner BC club was formed as its founders broke off from FC Borussia 99 Köln.
A few years later, the Sportverein Sülz 07 club was formed in 1907 in the neighborhood of Sülz in Cologne. This club merged with another club named Hertha 08 Sülz around 1920 to become Spielvereinigung Sülz 07.
The 2 clubs of Kölner BC and Spielvereinigung Sülz 07 existed separately until after WWII. The creation of 1. FC Köln is attributed to Franz Bolg and Fritz Plate. These two men led the discussions about merging the two clubs. On February 12, 1948, the members of each club approved the merger after intense discussions.
The following day on February 13, 1948, the members of the new club met at the Roggendorf pub to finalize the merger. They settled on the club’s new name of 1. Fußball Club Köln 01/07. The last part of the club’s name 01 Schrägstrich 07 means 01 slash 07 in English and is a reference to the founding years of the 2 clubs that merged to form 1. FC Köln.
So, the club’s official founding date is February 13, 1948, although the club’s history begins many years before then.
Nicknames
The club’s main nickname is die Geißböcke (meaning The Billy Goats in English). In 1950, a travelling circus donated a goat to the club to celebrate the club’s second birthday. The club and fans immediately took to the animal and the club has had 9 total live goats as mascots since then. All have been named Hennes after the former player and manager Hennes Weisweiler, who we’ll discuss in more detail later in this video. The nickname comes from the club having a billy goat mascot.
The other nickname for the club is Effzeh, which is the local pronunciation of FC. Most other places in Germany put the emphasis on the second syllable, but in Cologne, they put the emphasis on the first syllable. It’s a subtle distinction, but has earned the club this nickname.
Crest
The club’s crest has been used since 1992.
The prominent feature from this unique crest is obviously the billy goat. We’ve already discussed Hennes and where the club’s billy goat nickname comes from.
The club’s colors of red, black, and white are used throughout the crest.
In the red circle, you can see the outline of the Kölner Dom (Cologne Cathedral) in the background. This landmark is iconic in the city of Cologne for its two towers.
And the club’s name of 1. FC Köln is written across the middle of the circle.
Important Events
On May 9, 1964, FC Köln were crowned the first ever champions of the Bundesliga. The 1963-1964 season was the first season in the Bundesliga’s history. Köln had actually clinched the title a few matches prior and were well deserving first-time champions. The club scored in all 30 games that season and led the table after every matchday except for the 4th one. It was an impressive display from FC Köln.
About 15 years later, the club had an even more impressive season but we first need to talk about the Bundesliga Skandal of 1971. In the 1970-1971 season, 10 Bundesliga matches were fixed or contained some sort of illegal activity towards the end of the season. 3 of those matches involved FC Köln with the club’s goalkeeper Manfred Manglitz one of the ringleaders. Manglitz was eventually caught along with other players and in July 1971 he was banned from the sport for life. His actions left a black mark on the club.
Jumping forward a few years to happier times: On April 15, 1978, the Billy Goats faced Fortuna Düsseldorf in the DFB Pokal final. FC Köln won the match 2-0. The club wasn’t done winning trophies that season though. On April 29, 1978 the final matchday of the Bundesliga season took place. Borussia Mönchengladbach & FC Köln were tied at the top of the table with Köln holding a +10 goal difference lead. Gladbach proceeded to win their match 12-0 over Borussia Dortmund, but Köln beat St. Pauli 5-0. The results meant FC Köln were German league champions for the 3rd time. This was also the last time the club was German league champions. With FC Köln winning both the domestic league and domestic cup titles that season, the club became one of only 4 German clubs to accomplish the historic double.
The 4th event I’d like to mention is a not so happy one. On November 24, 2001, the Billy Goats scored a goal in the 31st minute of their Bundesliga match against FC St. Pauli. The club would then go 1,034 minutes or the equivalent of 11 1/2 matches before scoring another Bundesliga goal on March 2, 2002 in the 75th minute of their match against Hertha Berlin. This scoreless streak is the longest in the Bundesliga’s history.
And the final event I’d like to highlight occurred on May 6, 2019. On this date, FC Köln defeated Greuther Fürth 4-0 in the third to last match of the 2.Bundesliga season. The 2.Bundesliga is Germany’s second division. The result meant Köln clinched promotion back to the Bundesliga for the 2019-2020 season and that is their current league at time of recording.
Supporters
The club’s anthem or hymn is called “Mer stonn zo dir, FC Kölle” which translates from the local dialect of Kölsch to English as “We stand by you, FC Cologne”. The song is about 20 years old and was written by local carnival pop band Höhner. It’s more or less a direct copy of the Scottish folk song ‘The Bonnie Banks o’ Loch Lomond’. The song is very catchy and it is quite an experience as the fans belt out this anthem.
Noteworthy Players
Let’s talk about 6 players in this section.
Hans Schäfer joined the club in its inaugural year of 1948 and FC Köln would be the only club he’d play for during his career. Schäfer played in 3 World Cups, winning the 1954 World Cup with West Germany. With Köln, he won the German National Championship in 1962 and the Bundesliga in 1964. Schäfer was named German Footballer of the Year in 1963 and he is the club’s all-time leading goalscorer, with the majority of his goals coming before the Bundesliga existed.
Wolfgang Overath is a club legend who is Effzeh’s all-time record appearance holder. Overath made close to 550 appearances for the club between 1962 and 1977. He won the Bundesliga once and 2 DFB Pokals with the club before he retired. He also won the 1974 World Cup with West Germany.
Johannes Löhr is the club’s all-time top scorer in the Bundesliga era. Löhr was a longtime teammate of Overath and won 1 Bundesliga, as well as 3 DFB Pokals, with FC Köln. He was one of the best goalscorers in the Bundesliga during his career.
Harald Schumacher, more commonly known as Toni Schumacher, was a standout goalkeeper who spent the majority of his career with Köln. Schumacher was the starting goalkeeper as West Germany won the 1980 European championships and he was widely considered one of the best goalkeepers in the world during his career. He won 3 major trophies with FC Köln and was named German Footballer of the Year twice while with the Billy Goats.
Like most of the players we’ve previously mentioned, Dieter Müller spent the majority of his career with FC Köln, though it wasn’t quite as long as those already mentioned. He is arguably the most lethal goalscorer in the club’s history though, as he once scored 7 goals in a Bundesliga match – that is still an all-time single game record. Müller is also the only Effzeh player to be the top scorer in a Bundesliga season on more than 1 occasion.
And the final player I want to mention is Lukas Podolski who began his professional career with the club. Unlike all of the other players mentioned, Podolski only played for FC Köln for a handful of seasons before moving to Bayern Munich. Still, he is a beloved player who actually came back to the club after his time with Bayern for a few more seasons before moving on to Arsenal. He was one of the best German attackers throughout the majority of his career, which is actually still active as he’s playing in Japan at time of recording. He won over 100 caps for the German national team and won the 2014 World Cup.
Noteworthy Managers
I’d like to talk about 4 managers here.
The greatest manager in FC Köln’s history is Hennes Weisweiler. Weisweiler managed the club over 3 different stints from 1948 to 1980. He was in FC Köln’s first ever match as a player and became player manager later in 1948. His first 2 stints with the club did not end with trophies, but Weisweiler led the club to 3 major trophies in his third stint in the late 1970s. Additionally, he won 3 Bundesligas, a DFB Pokal, and a UEFA Cup with Monchengladbach in the early 1970s. Weisweiler was ahead of his time as he developed an extremely effective counter-attacking style and was one of the leaders in a new school of managing. He communicated his tactics with players and involved the players in the discussions/decisions. He is a true legend and he also named the club’s goat mascot after himself, which is just awesome.
The next manager I’d like to discuss is Georg Knöpfle. Knöpfle was the man in charge as the club won the inaugural Bundesliga trophy. For that reason alone, he deserves mention here. Before joining the club, he won the 1961 DFB Pokal with Werder Bremen and in 1966, he left Köln to become the first ever technical director in German soccer, which he did at Hamburg.
The third manager I’d like to discuss is Rinus Michels. Though Michels only won 1 major trophy with FC Köln (the 1983 DFB Pokal), he is widely considered one of the greatest managers in soccer’s history. He was only with the club for 3 years towards the back half of his managerial career, but Michels was one of the key people that helped revolutionize Ajax, the Dutch National team, and FC Barcelona with Total Football in the 1970s. He is a managerial legend and definitely deserves mention here.
And the last manager I want to highlight is Peter Stöger. Stöger took over as manager in 2013 and led the club out of the second division and back into the Bundesliga. Once in the Bundesliga, Stöger helped solidify the club’s position in the league and even led it back to a European competition for the first time since the 1990s. Sadly, the club started poorly in the 2017-2018 season, which caused Stöger to be fired by December 2017. Still, he is remembered fondly by Effzeh supporters and I wanted to discuss him here.
Rivals
Köln’s main rivals are Borussia Mönchengladbach, but I also want to briefly mention Bayer Leverkusen and Fortuna Düsseldorf as minor rivals.
Both the Leverkusen and Düsseldorf rivalries stem from those clubs being located in the same area as the city of Cologne. Matches between Bayer and FC Köln have gotten heated, with hooligan fighting often a problem, so this is definitely a rivalry. And the Fortuna Düsseldorf rivalry stretches back to the 1970s and 1980s when both clubs were competing at the top end of the Bundesliga table. It still has elements of a rivalry and thus deserves mention here.
But FC Köln’s fiercest rival is Borussia Mönchengladbach. The two clubs are each located in the Rheinland region of Germany and matches between the sides are called the Rheinischederby in German or Rhine Derby in English. The two first met in 1962 and Köln was the stronger side in the early days before the Rhine Derby really heated up in the 1970s. Both Köln & Gladbach competed for trophies during this time. One of the most notable incidents came in the final matchday of the 1977-1978 when the two weren’t even playing, which we’ve already discussed. Both clubs have gone through ups and downs since the 1970s, but this derby has remained heated. The proximity of the two clubs has likely been the main contributing factor to that with this rivalry being recognized as one of the most intense in all of Germany.
Stats & Records
The stats and records we’re about to discuss are as of November 2019, which is when we are recording this video.
The Billy Goats have played 48 seasons in the top flight in their history.
The club has 7 major trophies including:
- 4 DFB-Pokals (German Cups)
- 2 Bundesliga titles
- 1 German national championship, which was won before the Bundesliga was created
Effzeh’s record first team appearance holder is Wolfgang Overath with 542 official appearances.
The club’s record goal scorer is Hans Schäfer with 304 goals in officials matches.
FC Köln’s record transfer purchase was Jhon Córdoba from Mainz 05 on July 1, 2017 for ~€17M.
And the club’s record transfer sale was Anthony Modeste to Tianjin Quanjian in China on July 1, 2018 for ~€29M.
And 1 last interesting fact about the club: FC Köln is the 4th largest club in Germany behind Bayern Munich, FC Schalke and Borussia Dortmund. The club has more than 100,000 members.
So there you have it… a bit of history on 1. Fußball-Club Köln 01/07. Let’s continue the discussion in the comments section below the video.
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