Swiss Hans-Joan Gamper founded FC Barcelona in 1899

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November 29, 1899: He leaves Switzerland as Hans Max Gamper and enters sporting history as Joan Gamper. Because he brought King's football to Barcelona.

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Penalties, corner kicks, offside – the fact that the British introduced football to Switzerland around 1850 still has an impact today. While Germans talk about penalties, corners and offside, we still use English terms. What is less known is that Switzerland not only imports footballs, but also regularly exports them.

The most common is the story of Hans Max Gamper. Born in Winterthur and raised in Zurich, he was a successful all-around athlete in cycling and track and field. There is also a very great hobby: football.

“Hans Gamper was a man of action and an avid sports lover who was also very active in his own right,” said sports historian Michael Zucker. Not surprisingly, FC Zurich, the club he co-founded, was a multi-sport club during the Gamper era. For example, he also organized the first athletics games in Zurich. “Gamper’s philosophy is that sports also have social value and health is important,” Uecker said. Today, Gamperstrasse, on the edge of Zurich's Langstrasse district, commemorates this pioneer's achievements.

Pioneer: An 1896 recording by Hans Gamper.Image source: fcz museum

Kans Kamper is looking for friends

In the fall of 1899, a brief report appeared in the newspaper Los Deportes. Hans Gamper eventually made his way to Barcelona, ​​where he settled. Now he is looking for colleagues for his favorite activity. In this report, the football is referred to as “Foot-Vall” and Hans Kamper is written as “Kans Kamper”. Perhaps the difficulty of pronouncing Catalan is one of the reasons why he now calls himself “Joan” (the local form of Johannes).

Baxing said the former Swiss champion also hopes to organize some games in Barcelona. Anyone interested in the sport should contact him or come to the newsroom on a Tuesday or Friday night.

It was this note that caused a stir on October 22nd. Five weeks later, after several meetings, “FC Barcelona” was founded on November 29, 1899. Another Swiss, Walter “Gualteri” Wild, took over as president, with Gamper himself serving as captain.

The legend of FC Basel colors

Curiously, the new club's first game was played a week later against British players living in Barcelona. Barcelona's Arthur Vitti scored the only goal, but Vitti played for the opposition so that both teams could field ten men each, which was fairer than eleven against nine.

Blue and red are the colors of FC Barcelona and are usually paired with the yellow of the Catalan flag.Image: imago/Alterphotos

The idea that FC Barcelona plays in red and blue is a myth because Hans Gamper took over the colors from FC Basel. There are several theories as to how this color choice came about. Once, FC Excelsior Zurich, the predecessor of FCZ, appeared; another time, the pencils (Gamper worked as an accountant) were red and blue; another time, he was inspired by the coat of arms of Ticino, because one of his sisters lived there.

Perhaps the witty British brothers Arthur and Ernest adopted the colors of the rugby team at Merchant Taylor School, which they attended. If you believe Otto Meier, maybe none of this is true. The German striker, one of the club's founders, reportedly insisted until his death in 1965 that he knew the secret: Barcelona had red and blue jerseys because they were the colors of the Swabian company Hartmann.

Sports historian Michael Zucker refers to the club historian of FC Barcelona. About two years ago, they explained that the color choice might have something to do with the English rugby team. “The theory sounds reasonable,” Uecker objected with a laugh, “but maybe in two years someone else will come along and bring a new variant.” However, historians believe a link to FC Basel may Very little sex.

Swiss exports hit sweets and footballs

Joan Gamper was not the only Swiss to help establish football in other countries. The Swiss played a key role in ensuring that some members broke away from AC Milan and formed Inter Milan. “In Italy alone, there are about 20 clubs founded by Swiss co-founders,” Uecker said. The sport also took off in French and Spanish cities with the help of Swiss footballers.

Many years after its founder, Swiss Siriacco Sforza once again led Inter Milan in a derby against Milan in the 1990s.Image source: imago sports photo service

The scientist explained that Switzerland has very good links with the UK, with many Swiss businessmen working there. “They returned home, brought football with them and shaped football in this country. In the late 19th century, many clubs were formed and businessmen and students emigrated and took the game abroad. In the late 19th and 20th centuries “In the beginning, football was as much a Swiss export as candy.”

Football players ostracized

In its early days, football was a long way from becoming a workers' sport. “England wasn't originally like this,” Michael Ueke emphasizes. Football is played in elite schools, including in Switzerland, initially mainly in boarding schools and high schools. “The image of workers' sport was only later attributed to football. This has more to do with its appeal to spectators, but also to the fact that it was relatively cheap to practice and therefore attractive to workers.” Uecker mentions another one that can be played in Zurich et al. observed reasons. “Stadiums such as Hardau, Utogrund, Letzigrund and Hardturm are located in industrial areas or on the outskirts of cities. This is why football is considered a workers' sport.”

As far as his social class was concerned, the educated Hans Gamper was not the exception but the rule. However, he was in the minority due to his commitment to a sport that would become the most popular in the world. Football was initially unpopular, especially on the mainland. “It was strange at first, and it was also a pretty primitive sport. The Catholic Church almost demonized football,” historian Uecker explains. “In central Switzerland, for example, young people who are still playing don't receive pancakes during Sunday church services.”

Banished, brought back, and finally driven away

Joan Gamper also had bad experiences in the church. In 1903, the Reformed Christian had to leave his club because the Spanish constitution only allowed Catholicism as a religion. Five years later, perhaps due to his marriage to Maria Emma Pilloud, a native of Freiburg who was Catholic, the Swiss was once again accepted, so in 1908 he became president of FC Barcelona. With the club's financial situation in dire straits, the founder must now become the savior.

In 1961, Barcelona fans remembered the club's founder when they played in the Masters Cup final against Benfica in Wankdorf, Bern (3-2 Portugal).Image: PHOTOPRESS ARCHIVES

Resurrection was successful under Gamper's leadership. It was as a result of his hard work and partly his own funding that his own 5,000-seat stadium was completed in 1909. To this day, Catalonia's pride is closely linked to its founder: in the summer's pre-season, Barca will compete with famous rivals for the Joan Gamper Cup.

However, Gamper's time at Barcelona came to a tragic end. In 1925, when he organized a friendly match against England, two national anthems were played before kick-off. Gamper was forced to resign as the Catalan crowd loudly booed the Spanish crowd and applauded the British crowd. Perhaps more seriously: Since then, he has been banned from having any contact with FC Barcelona, ​​his life's work.

Superstar Lionel Messi with the Gamper Trophy.Image source: EPA EFE

Gamper's record is even comparable to Messi's

On July 30, 1930, Hans Max “Joan” Gamper pulled out a gun and ended his life in his home at 4 Girona Street. It is said that he lost all his property in the global economic crisis the year before last, and now he is in despair and is helpless. Gamper is 52 years old. His heart for FC Barcelona continues unabated.

Argentinian wonder flea Lionel Messi set countless records during his time at Barcelona. But Joan Gamper still holds the club record: he is the only Barcelona player to score nine goals in one game. And those three times.