AC Bellinzona

Bellinzona
Full name	Associazione Calcio Bellinzona
Nickname(s)	Granata (Maroon)
Founded	1904
Ground	Stadio Comunale Bellinzona, Bellinzona, Switzerland
Capacity	5,000 (600 seated)
Chairman	Paolo Righetti
Manager	Baldo Raineri
League	Challenge League
2021–22	Promotion League,; 1st (promoted)
Website	Club website
	Current season

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.

HistoryEdit

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.

HonoursEdit

Swiss Super League

Champions: 1947–48

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)

PlayersEdit

Current squadEdit

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	SUI	Yuri-Gino Klein
5	DF	URU	Franco Romero
6	MF	URU	Andrés Schetino
7	MF	URU	Cristian Souza
8	MF	URU	Thomás Chacón
10	FW	URU	Sergio Cortelezzi
11	MF	SUI	Matteo Tosetti
12	GK	SUI	Alexander Muci (on loan from Lugano)
13	DF	URU	Guillermo Padula
15	DF	SUI	Serkan Izmirlioglu (on loan from Luzern)
17	DF	SUI	Bruno Morgado
19	FW	SUI	Tresor Samba
20	MF	URU	Matías Ocampo
22	MF	SUI	Siyar Doldur (on loan from Sion)


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
23	DF	ARG	Isaac Monti
27	MF	CIV	Eric Tia
28	DF	SUI	Gaetano Berardi
29	MF	SUI	Adrian Durrer (on loan from Lugano)
31	GK	SUI	Jules Cavin
33	MF	TUR	Mehmet Manis
37	DF	SUI	Fabio Dixon
47	DF	SUI	Santiago Miranda
72	DF	SUI	Andrea Padula
77	GK	COD	Joël Kiassumbua
88	MF	ITA	Tommaso Centinaro (on loan from Lugano)
91	DF	SUI	Dragan Mihajlović
99	FW	URU	Rodrigo Pollero

Out on loanEdit

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	SUI	Guélor Samba (at FC Paradiso until 31 December 2022)


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
—	FW	SUI	Robin Wildhaber (at UTC until 31 December 2022)

Coaching staffEdit

Position	Name
Head coach	Baldo Raineri^[6]
Assistant coach	Fernando Cocimano^[6]
Fitness coach	Fabio Scali
Goalkeeper coach	Lorenzo Colombo
Physiotherapist	Damiano Longo
Doctor	Cristiano Bernasconi

ReferencesEdit

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

External linksEdit

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[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.

[coach-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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