After a difficult start to the season under their new Head Coach Thorsten Fink, FCB makes remarkable progress and climbs up the Championship table with purpose.

At the end of the season, with FCB lying second in the table, the Championship is comes down to a final day showdown with leaders BSC Young Boys.  BSC Young Boys have lead the League from the beginning of the season.  However, FCB are crowned Champions with a 2:0 away victory to inflict heartbreak upon BSC Young Boys.

A few days before winning the Championship for a thirteenth time, FCB win the Swiss Cup in Basel with an emphatic 6:0 victory over Lausanne Sports (of the Challenge League).  This completes the 4th League and Cup double in FCB’s history.

FCB plays the second half of the season inspiring their fans with both efficient ‘link play’ and exciting attacking football.  In his first season as Head Coach, Thorsten Fink is lauded by fans for bringing two trophies to the club.

After this exciting season FCB qualifies for the Qualification stages of the UEFA Champions League.  After such sweeping changes in 2009, FCB’s achievements must be celebrated as remarkable.
 

FCB celebrate another Swiss Cup triumph with a comfortable 4:1 win against AC Bellinzona.  A twelfth Championship title of FCB’s history is secured on 10th May with victory in the last round of games over BSC Young Boys Berne.

FCB tastes European victories against Swedish Champions IFK Gotenborg and Portugese club Vitoria Guimaraes in the second and the third qualification round of the UEFA Champions League.  These victories ensure that FCB qualifies for the second time in their history for the Group Stage of the UEFA Champions League.
 

In the Swiss Cup final FCB defeat FC Lucerne 1:0.

FCB establishes a new Swiss record on 26th February 2006; 53 Swiss Championship games in a row undefeated. FCB cruises to a 2:1 home victory against Yverdon and FCB improves its own record from 1968 to 1972 when the club (under Head Coach Helmut Benthaus) was undefeated for 52 home games of the Swiss Championship in a row.  It is only on 13th May 2006 FCB loses its first home game, which is the last game of the season, 1:2 against FC Zurich. The second goal against FCB is scored in the 93rd minute and results in the heartbreaking loss of the Swiss Championship to opponents FC Zurich. In the aftermath of the game there are ugly scenes as several hundred supporters take out their frustrations from this defeat.

The UEFA Cup campaign for this season also ends in an unlucky manner.  FCB reaches the Quarter Finals after eliminating such teams as Red Star Belgrade, AS Monaco and RC Strasbourg.  However, in the Quarter Finals, FCB drops out in unfortunate circumstances.  After securing a 2:0 home victory against Middlesbrough FC, the Swiss Champions lose the away game in England 1:4.  In a pulsating match, Middlesbrough score their fourth goal in the 90th minute to secure victory and passage to the Semi Finals. A 1:3 defeat would have been enough for FCB to progress at Middlesbrough’s expense.

For the 2004/2005 season, FCB makes five notable signings to strengthen the squad. These are national players from Argentina (César Andrés Carignano), Brazil (Kléber), Croatia (Mladen Petric), Australia (Mile Steriovski) and Austria (Thomas Mandl). In addition, the transfer of the promising French youngster Djamel Mesbah is secured.
On 17th July 2004, FCB begins the Super League campaign with a 6:0 home victory over FC Aarau. The goals for the season ahead are to defend the Swiss Championship title and to advance as far as possible in European competition.  Unfortunately, the draw for qualification to the Group Stages of UEFA Champions League presents FCB with a difficult tie against Internazionale of Italy. The 2:5 aggregate result in favour of Internazionale consigns FCB to the Uefa-Cup.

In the Swiss Championship FCB achieves a monumental victory against arch-rivals Grasshoppers Zurich, with an 8:1 victory on 12th September. For Grasshoppers Zurich, whom hold the record for Swiss Championships won, this is a record defeat and is a bitter pill to swallow coming against FCB.  Meanwhile it is FCB’s second highest victory in their history, after a 10:0 against FC Moutier in 1966.
FCB finishes 2004 at the top of the Swiss Championship. After 18 of the 36 games in the season, FCB maintains a lead of 14 points over 2nd placed FC Thun. In European competition, FCB emerges from the group stages of the UEFA Cup and qualifies for the last 16.  However, FCB exit the competition in February 2005, after losing to OSC Lille over two legs 0:2 on aggregate.

FCB again secures the Swiss Super League title before the final game of the season. Victory in the Championship is confirmed three games before the end of the season with a 3:1 win against FC St. Gallen. The eleventh Championship title of the FCB is celebrated with much excitement on 28 May after the last game of the season against Neuchâtel Xamax. During the game FCB Captain Murat Yakin scores a memorable goal from a distance of 65 meters.
 

On 16th June 2005 FCB resumes pre-season training for the 2005/2006 season.  Good news comes shortly after when Head Coach Christian Gross, in charge since 1999, renews his contract with FCB for another 3 years, until 30th June 2009.

FC Basel starts the ’03/04 as part of the new Swiss league of ten teams called “Super League”. FCB again breaks new ground in Swiss football; the first woman is appointed as Head of Transfers of a Swiss professional club and with 26’000 season tickets sold, FCB establishes a new Swiss record for ticket sales.

In the autumn of 2003 FCB establishes a new Swiss record by winning all of its first 13 games in the Swiss Super League.  The previous record of 11 consecutive victories was held by Servette Geneva in 1981. At the half-way point of the season, after 18 of 36 games, FCB remains in 1st place and is still unbeaten with 17 victories and one tie. FCB goes into the winter break with 52 points from 18 games, a lead of 14 points over the second placed Young Boys Berne, 21 points over the third placed Servette Geneva and 32 points over the defending Champions Grasshoppers Zurich.

In the UEFA Cup, FCB defeats Malatyaspor of Turkey 3:2 on aggregate, following a 2:0 away victory and 1:2 home after extra-time. However, FCB bow out of the competition against tougher opposition, Newcastle United of England.  FCB suffers narrow defeats 2:3 at home and 0:1 away for an aggregate score of 2:4.

FCB secures the Swiss Super League title on 2nd May 2004, four games before the end of the season, with a 2:0 away victory against FC Thun. Christian Gross wins his fourth trophy in his fifth season with FCB; twice Swiss Champions, twice Swiss Cup winners.  This achievement was the Coach’s goal at the beginning of the season. The Championship victory is now the tenth in the history of FCB.

FCB finishes the season on a high note with a 2:1 home victory against Young Boys Berne and a total of 85 points from 36 games. After the game, the tenth Swiss Championship of the FCB is celebrated in Basel by 50’000 fans until the early hours of the following day.