FCBARCELONA.CAT

16.05.2009 11:09

Basel Cup Winners’ Cup triumph 30 years on

David Saura

This Saturday is the 30th anniversary of Barça’s first Cup Winners’ Cup triumph. On 16 May 1979 Barça beat Fortuna Düsseldorf 4-3 in the final played at Basel.

No Barça fan finds it hard to remember what happened in Basel thirty years ago: the club’s first big European title and the first massive travelling contingent of Barça fans. The Basel Cup Winners’ Cup triumph was a sporting and a social phenomenon.

Massive travelling support

There’s no doubt that the final in the Saint Jakob Stadium in 1979 was a highpoint in the club’s history due to the players, the fans, the colours on the terraces and the international symbolism of the win. As Spain was becoming a democracy, the terraces at the Saint Jakob Stadium became the symbol of a country which wanted to show Europe how important the club is for Catalonia. After two losing finals in Switzerland at Berne (1961) and Basel (1969), Barça came back to the town with 30,000 fans. No club had ever taken so many supporters to a European football final, fans whose behaviour was moreover absolutely impeccable.

New sporting era

The sporting lead-up to that final on 16 May was a little peculiar. The Dutchmen Michels and Cruyff had left the club the previous season, the side wasn’t doing well in the League (they ended up fifth) and had been knocked out of the King’s Cup by Valencia. As a result Frenchman Lucien Müller, the first manager under new chairman Josep Lluís Núñez, had been sacked and Joaquim Rifé had taken over the reigns in mid-season determined to impose his combative style on the players. He did.

If anything characterised the team that played in that final, it was the self-respect and commitment of the players. Migueli played with a dislocated shoulder and Krankl took the pitch shortly after hearing his wife had been in a bad traffic accident. These are just some of the things that added to the importance of an epic win that came out of the enormous effort made by a set of players who fully identified with their team.

Lots of goals

The game was an unusual final, in part because of the number of goals scored (4-3). Four came in the first half alone (2-2), though the scoreboard stayed the same throughout a rather dull second half. Then in extra-time the Catalans once more went ahead through a goal by Rexach after some spectacular play by Carrasco, followed by another from Krankl, who that season was also top scorer in the League. In spite of some anxious moments after the Germans pulled one back in the dying moments of the game, Barça managed to hold onto their lead.

The Catalan and Barça flags swamped the Saint Jakob Stadium, as a prelude to what the team would find on their return to Barcelona. With Catalan President Josep Tarradellas and Barcelona Mayor Narcís Serra waiting for the players at official functions, the people of Barcelona turned out massively to cheer their new idols through the streets on a journey which history and subsequent titles has made common.