2020–21 Swiss Challenge League

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Swiss Challenge League
Season2020–21
ChampionsGrasshoppers
RelegatedChiasso
Matches played180
Goals scored503 (2.79 per match)
Top goalscorerRodrigo Pollero (19 goals)
Biggest home winWil 7–0 Aarau
Biggest away winXamax 0–3 Schaffhausen
Xamax 0–3 Thun
Grasshoppers 1–4 Xamax
Highest scoringWil 7–0 Aarau
Kriens 5–2 Grasshoppers
Schaffhausen 5–2 Chiasso
Winterthur 5–2 Aarau
Highest attendance2'870 Xamax 1–0 Grasshoppers
2021–22 →
All statistics correct as of 20 May 2021[1].

The 2020–21 Swiss Challenge League (referred to as the Brack.ch Challenge League for sponsoring reasons) is the 18th season of the Swiss Challenge League, the second tier of competitive football in Switzerland, under its current name. The season started on 18 September 2020 and is scheduled to end on 30 May 2021.[2] The start of the season was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Switzerland. The league will be on winter break between 22 December 2020 and 23 January 2021.

Participating teams[]

A total of 10 teams participate in the league. 2019–20 Swiss Challenge League champions FC Lausanne-Sport and runner-up FC Vaduz were promoted to the 2020–21 Swiss Super League. They were replaced by Neuchâtel Xamax FCS, who got relegated after finishing last-placed in the 2019–20 Swiss Super League, and FC Thun, who lost the relegation game. No team was relegated due to the cancellation of the 2019–20 Swiss Promotion League caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in Switzerland.

Stadia and locations[]

Locations of clubs in the 2020–21 Challenge League
Team Location Stadium Capacity
FC Aarau Aarau Stadion Brügglifeld 8,000
FC Chiasso Chiasso Stadio Comunale Riva IV 5,000
Grasshopper Club Zürich Zürich Letzigrund 26,104
SC Kriens Kriens Stadion Kleinfeld 5,360
FC Stade Lausanne-Ouchy Lausanne Stade Olympique de la Pontaise[a] 15,850
Neuchâtel Xamax FCS Neuchâtel Stade de la Maladière 11,997
FC Schaffhausen Schaffhausen LIPO Park Schaffhausen 8,200
FC Thun Thun Stockhorn Arena 10,014
FC Wil 1900 Wil IGP Arena 6,958
FC Winterthur Winterthur Schützenwiese 8,550
  1. ^ Stade-Lausanne-Ouchy's home stadium Stade Juan-Antonio-Samaranch in Lausanne can not accommodate SLO for the Challenge League. SLO will play at the Stade Olympique de la Pontaise in Lausanne.[3]

Personnel and kits[]

Team Manager Captain Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor
Aarau Switzerland Stephan Keller Montenegro Elsad Zverotić gpard Swiss Red Cross, Credit Suisse
Chiasso Italy Morocco Younes Bnou Marzouk Macron Caffè Chicco d'Oro, Autoronchetti
Grasshoppers Romania Zoltán Kádár (caretaker) Serbia Aleksandar Cvetković Puma none (No to Racism)
Kriens Switzerland Bruno Berner Switzerland Joma MVM AG
Lausanne-Ouchy Bosnia and Herzegovina Meho Kodro France Andy Laugeois 14Fourteen none
Neuchâtel Switzerland Martin Rueda Switzerland Laurent Walthert Erima Groupe E, Briq
Schaffhausen Switzerland Murat Yakin Switzerland Imran Bunjaku Puma Pistoleros, doc-oliday
Thun Argentina Carlos Bernegger Switzerland Nicola Sutter Macron Schneider Software AG
Wil Switzerland Alexander Frei Switzerland Philipp Muntwiler Erima Planet Pure
Winterthur Germany Ralf Loose Switzerland Davide Callà gpard Keller, Init7

Managerial changes[]

Team Outgoing manager Manner of departure Date of departure Position in table Incoming manager Date of appointment
Thun Switzerland Marc Schneider Resigned 5 October 2020 9th Argentina Carlos Bernegger 11 October 2020[4]
Xamax Switzerland Stéphane Henchoz Sacked 13 December 2020 9th Switzerland Martin Rueda 13 December 2020[5]
Grasshoppers Portugal João Carlos Pereira Sacked 5 May 2021 1st Romania Zoltán Kádár (caretaker) 5 May 2021[6]

League table[]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion or relegation
1 Grasshoppers (C, P) 36 19 8 9 60 43 +17 65 Promotion to 2021–22 Swiss Super League
2 Thun (Q) 36 19 7 10 57 46 +11 64 Qualification to promotion/relegation play-offs
3 Lausanne-Ouchy 36 15 13 8 57 39 +18 58
4 Schaffhausen 36 16 10 10 59 46 +13 58
5 Aarau 36 17 7 12 66 59 +7 58
6 Winterthur 36 11 10 15 50 52 −2 43
7 Wil 36 10 9 17 43 52 −9 39
8 Kriens 36 9 11 16 40 48 −8 38
9 Xamax 36 10 6 20 36 58 −22 36
10 Chiasso (R) 36 9 9 18 35 60 −25 36 Relegation to Swiss Promotion League
Updated to match(es) played on 20 May 2021. Source: Swiss Challenge League
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Head-to-head goal difference; 5) Away goals scored; 6) Draw.[7]
(C) Champion; (P) Promoted; (Q) Qualified to the phase indicated; (R) Relegated

Results[]

Statistics[]

Top scorers[]

As of 20 May 2021
Rank Player Club Goals[8]
1 Uruguay Rodrigo Pollero Schaffhausen 19
2 Switzerland Filip Stojilković Aarau 15
3 Central African Republic Louis Mafouta Neuchâtel Xamax 14
Croatia Ivan Prtajin Schaffhausen
5 France Lausanne-Ouchy 12
6 Switzerland Roman Buess Winterthur 11
State of Palestine Saleh Chihadeh Thun
Turkey Zeki Amdouni Lausanne-Ouchy
Brazil Léo Bonatini Grasshoppers
10 Kosovo Shkelqim Demhasaj Grasshoppers 10

Awards[]

Promotion play-offs[]

The ninth-placed team of the 2020–21 Swiss Super League, Sion, played against the runners-up of the 2020–21 Swiss Challenge League, Thun.

First leg[]

Thun1–4Sion
 Report
Attendance: 100

Second leg[]

Sion2–3Thun
  • Goal 30', 45+2'
 Report
Stade de Tourbillon, Sion
Attendance: 100
Referee: Fedayi San

Sion won 6–4 on aggregate.


References[]

  1. ^ "SAISON-STATISTIK 2020/21". www.sfl.ch (in German). Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  2. ^ "Rahmenterminplan 2020-21" (PDF). www.sfl.ch (in German and French). Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 December 2020. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  3. ^ Verdon, Emilien (11 February 2020). "Football: SLO jouera la saison prochaine à la Pontaise" (in French). LFM. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  4. ^ "FC Thun: Carlos Bernegger wird neuer Trainer". www.nau.ch.
  5. ^ "Xamax: Martin Rueda remplace Stéphane Henchoz pour la fin de l'année". www.arcinfo.ch.
  6. ^ "GC feuert Trainer Pereira". www.blick.ch.
  7. ^ "Reglement für den Spielbetrieb der SFL" (PDF) (in German). sfl.ch. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 September 2018. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  8. ^ "TORSCHÜTZENLISTE 2020/21". SFL. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  9. ^ "Nsame und Abubakar sind die Besten des Jahres 2020". sfl.ch. Retrieved 23 January 2021.

External links[]

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