Basel bow out of Europe – for now

Basel's players salute their fans after Tuesday's game Keystone

FC Basel say they are aiming to become Champions League regulars, following their exit from this year's competition.

The team were knocked out on Tuesday, despite beating Italian champions Juventus 2-1.

The victory meant that Basel finished the second group stage level on points with both Juventus and the Spanish giants Deportivo La Coruña.

But the Italian side’s stronger points tally in the games between the three teams saw Juventus through to the quarter-finals and left Basel contemplating how close they came to another footballing miracle.

“I guess we did a good job,” coach Christian Gross told swissinfo, with more than a little understatement.

“Not only because of the seven points we took in the second stage, but also because of the nature of our performances, especially in 2003.”

Hot streak

Having suffered a heavy 4-0 defeat away to Juventus in December 2002, the Swiss champions have certainly stepped up another level since the New Year.

Tuesday’s revenge over the Italians followed on from a 1-0 home win over Deportivo in February and a 1-1 draw away to Manchester United last week.

With a budget dwarfed by those of their illustrious Champions League opponents, Basel’s achievements this season have upset football’s established order on more than one occasion.

But after dumping the likes of Liverpool and Glasgow Celtic out of the competition, the Swiss minnows are keen to take on the big fish again in the near future.

“Our target now must be to get back into international competition,” Gross insisted.

“But to do that we first have to qualify from the domestic league and that won’t be easy. We mustn’t forget that this season was our first in Europe for 20 years.”

Cash bonus

The club’s impressive run has not only earned them praise this season, it has also brought more than SFr20 million into the club’s coffers.

That should help them keep in touch with Switzerland’s other main contenders, Grasshoppers Zurich. But it remains petty cash when set against the finances of Real Madrid or Manchester United.

“It’s certainly a big sum for any Swiss side,” Basel spokesman Josef Zindel told swissinfo. “But there are a lot of outgoings to also take into consideration, from the stadium hire to the players’ performance bonuses.

“The money will help us stay competitive in Switzerland, but clearly we’ll never be able to compete financially with the likes of Madrid or Bayern Munich.

Our role model, instead, should be a club like [Norwegian champions] Rosenborg. If we can match their Champions League consistency by qualifying in, say, three of the next five seasons, we’ll certainly have achieved a lot.”

Even with such impressive wins as the one over Juventus on Tuesday, Basel know they won’t be shedding their underdog reputation in the near future.

But after getting a taste of the Champions League, the club are clearly keen to be biting at the ankles of the big players once more in the seasons ahead.

swissinfo, Mark Ledsom in Basel

In brief

Basel were the first Swiss club to qualify for the second stage of the lucrative Champions League.

The Swiss side defeated teams such as Glasgow Celtic, Deportivo La Coruña and Juventus at home during the competition, and drew with Manchester United in England.

Basel finished the second group stage level on points with both Juventus and La Coruña, but failed to qualify because the Italian side performed better during the games between the three teams.

Manchester United were the other team in the group to go through.

Participation in the competition earned Basel SFr22 million.