FC Erzgebirge Aue

Fußball Club Erzgebirge Aue e.V., commonly known as simply FC Erzgebirge Aue or Erzgebirge Aue (German pronunciation: [ˌeːɐ̯t͡sɡəbɪʁɡə ˈaʊ̯ə] ^ⓘ), is a German football club based in Aue-Bad Schlema, Saxony. The former East German side was a founding member of the 3. Liga in 2008–09, after being relegated from the 2. Bundesliga in 2007–08. The city of Aue-Bad Schlema has a population of about 20,800, making it one of the smallest cities to ever host a club playing at the second highest level of German football. However, the team attracts supporters from a larger urban area that includes Chemnitz and Zwickau, whose own football sides (CFC and FSV) are among Aue's traditional rivals.

Erzgebirge Aue

Full name	Fußball Club Erzgebirge Aue e.V.
Nickname(s)	Veilchen (Violets)
Founded	4 March 1946; 78 years ago (1946-03-04)
Ground	Erzgebirgsstadion
Capacity	16,485
President	Helge Leonhardt
Head coach	Pavel Dochev
League	3. Liga
2022–23	3. Liga, 14th of 20
Website	Club website
Home colours Away colours
Current season

History

1945–1963: East Germany's dominant side

 

Historical chart of Erzgebirge league performance

The club was founded as SG Aue in 1945, and on 1 November 1948 became BSG Pneumatik Aue under the sponsorship of the local construction tool works. Changes in sponsorship led to a change in name to BSG Zentra Wismut Aue in 1949 and then simply to BSG Wismut Aue in 1951.^[1]

 

Historical logo of Wismut Aue

The club performed well, advancing through third- and second-tier play to the DDR-Oberliga in 1951. BSG Wismut Aue finished as national vice-champions in 1953 losing in a final to SG Dynamo Dresden by a score of 2–3.

The central sports association SV Wismut founded sports club SC Wismut Karl-Marx-Stadt in the nearby city of Chemnitz – recently renamed Karl-Marx-Stadt – in 1954. The East German government urged that Karl-Marx-Stadt deserved a quality football team and plans were made for the football department of BSG Wismut Aue to move to Karl-Marx-Stadt and be incorporated into the new sports club SC Wismut Karl-Marx-Stadt. However, local miners protested and players threatened to strike, leading to a partial abandonment of the plan.^[2] The football department of BSG Wismut Aue was still delegated to SC Wismut Karl-Marx-Stadt, but the team would continue to play their matches at the Otto-Grotewohl-Stadion in Aue.^[2]

It was during this time that the club became a dominant force in East German football. They won the 1955 East German Cup and followed it up with four DDR-Oberliga titles in 1955, 1956, 1957 and 1959. They also competed in the 1959 East German Cup final, but lost 2–3 in a replay against SC Dynamo Berlin, following the clubs' 0–0 draw in the final.^[3] Those successes led to Aue's participation in the European Champion Clubs' Cup in 1958, 1959 and 1961.

1963–1991: With the DDR-Oberliga to the end

SC Wismut Karl-Marx-Stadt merged with SC Motor Karl-Marx-Stadt to form SC Karl-Marx-Stadt in 1963. Since SC Motor Karl-Marx-Stadt had brought their own football department, the football department of SC Wismut Karl-Marx-Stadt, once delegated from Aue, got back their independence and could be rejoined with BSG Wismut Aue.

The team continued to enjoy modest success by staying up in the top-tier DDR-Oberliga, and, although it did not win another championship, it holds the record for the most games played by any team in that league. Aue sits 4th on the all-time DDR-Oberliga list and over the course of thirty-eight years played more games (1,019 matches) than any other East German side. Just behind them, 6th place Rot-Weiß Erfurt played 1,001 matches.

BSG Wismut Aue also played in the UEFA Cup tournament in 1985–86 and 1987–88, going out in the first round against Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk in their first appearance and in the second round against Albanian side Flamurtari Vlorë in their second.^[4][5] After German reunification in 1990, the club was renamed FC Wismut Aue before taking on its current name, FC Erzgebirge Aue in 1993. The name "Erzgebirge", Ore Mountains in English, recognizes that the club's home is located in the western part of these mountains. Aue was relegated to the DDR-Liga Staffel B in the 1989–90 season, so it was admitted to the NOFV-Oberliga Süd, which was the fourth tier of the German League between 1991 and 2008, in the 1991–92 season.

1991–2003: Playing in united Germany

In the combined football leagues of the newly united Germany, Aue began playing in the NOFV-Oberliga Süd (IV). They competed in the DFB-Pokal for the first time in 1992. With the establishment of the Regionalliga Nordost (III) in 1994, Aue qualified for the new league. The club was moved to the Regionalliga Nord in 2000, and after a surprising league title there in 2003, they were promoted to the 2. Bundesliga.

2003–present: 2. Bundesliga

Following a Regionalliga Nord title, Erzgebirge Aue were promoted to the 2. Bundesliga where they delivered mid-table performances in their first three seasons, but suffered relegation back to the third tier in 2008.^[6][7]

Aue became part of the new 3. Liga in the 2008 season. They finished runner-up in the league in their second season there, earning promotion back to the 2. Bundesliga. After a fifth-place finish in their first season back, the club struggled against relegation, finishing in the lower third of the table for the following few seasons.^[7]

On 6 February 2015, in a 2–0 home victory against RB Leipzig, Aue fans displayed two banners comparing RB Leipzig to Nazis.^[8] Aue were fined £25,000 for it and it was ruled that two blocks in their stadium be closed for 12 months.^[9] In the 2014–15 season, they were relegated back to the 3. Liga,^[10] only to be promoted back to the 2. Bundesliga the following season.^[11] The 2016–17 season saw Aue finish 14th,^[12] whilst they finished 16th in the 2017–18 season.^[13] They finished 14th in the 2018–19 season.^[14]

Reserve team

The second team side of Wismut Aue played in the DDR-Liga (II) through the first half of the 1970s and had a single season turn there in 1985–86. They also made more than a half dozen appearances in the early rounds of FDGB Pokal (East German Cup) play between 1968 and 1991.

Since 2008 the club's reserve team, now the FC Erzgebirge Aue II, played in the tier five NOFV-Oberliga Süd with a fifth-place finish in 2014 as its best result. At the end of the 2014–15 season the team was withdrawn from competitive football despite finishing eighth in the league.^[15]

The team also made a losing appearance in the 1991 and 2007 Saxony Cup final.

Recent seasons

The recent season-by-season performance of the club:^[6][7]

Season	Division	Tier	Position
1999–2000	Regionalliga Nordost	III	3rd
2000–01	Regionalliga Nord		7th
2001–02	Regionalliga Nord		9th
2002–03	Regionalliga Nord		1st ↑
2003–04	2. Bundesliga	II	8th
2004–05	2. Bundesliga		7th
2005–06	2. Bundesliga		7th
2006–07	2. Bundesliga		10th
2007–08	2. Bundesliga		16th ↓
2008–09	3. Liga	III	12th
2009–10	3. Liga		2nd ↑
2010–11	2. Bundesliga	II	5th
2011–12	2. Bundesliga		15th
2012–13	2. Bundesliga		15th
2013–14	2. Bundesliga		14th
2014–15	2. Bundesliga		17th ↓
2015–16	3. Liga	III	2nd ↑
2016–17	2. Bundesliga	II	14th
2017–18	2. Bundesliga		16th
2018–19	2. Bundesliga		14th
2019–20	2. Bundesliga		7th
2020–21	2. Bundesliga		12th
2021–22	2. Bundesliga		17th ↓
2022–23	3. Liga	III	14th
2023–24	3. Liga

Key

↑ Promoted

↓ Relegated

Players

Current squad

As of 1 September 2023

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK   GER Martin Männel (captain) 2 DF   GER Tim Danhof 4 DF   GER Niko Vukancic 5 DF   GER Korbinian Burger 7 FW   GER Sean Seitz 8 MF   GER Joshua Schwirten 9 FW   GER Steffen Meuer 10 MF   MNE Mirnes Pepić 11 FW   MNE Omar Sijarić 12 MF   GER Franco Schädlich 13 MF   GER Erik Majetschak 14 FW   UKR Borys Tashchy 15 FW   GER Marcel Bär

No. Pos. Nation Player 16 MF   GER Finn Hetzsch 17 FW   GER Luc Thomas Elsner 21 DF   GER Marco Schikora 22 GK   GER Louis Lord 23 DF   GER Anthony Barylla 24 DF   GER Steffen Nkansah 25 GK   LUX Tim Kips 26 DF   GER Kilian Jakob 29 DF   GER Linus Rosenlöcher 30 FW   GER Maximilian Thiel 34 MF   GER Marvin Stefaniak 36 GK   GER Max Uhlig 40 DF   TUN Ramzi Ferjani

Honours

League DDR-Oberliga: (as SC Wismut Karl-Marx-Stadt) Winners: 1956, 1957, 1959 Winners of the transition championship: 1955 3. Liga: Runners-up: 2010, 2016 Regionalliga Nord (III): Winners: 2003 Regionalliga Nordost (III): Runners-up: 1997

Cup FDGB-Pokal: (as SC Wismut Karl-Marx-Stadt) Winners: 1954–55 Finalists: 1959 Saxony Cup (Tiers III-VII): Winners: 2000, 2001, 2002, 2016 Runners-up: 1991^‡, 1998, 1999, 2007^‡, 2010

• ^‡ Denotes achieved by reserve team.

Notable players

Internationals

East Germany internationals Bernhard Konik – 1 cap – (1984) Bringfried Müller – 18 caps – (1955–60) Dieter Erler – 47 caps – (1959–68; 25 LS for Aue) Erhard Bauer – 3 caps – (1954) Harald Mothes – 1 cap – (1984) Horst Freitag – 1 cap – (1957) Jörg Weißflog – 15 caps – (1984–89) Karl Wolf – 10 caps – (1954–57) Klaus Thiele – 4 caps – (1958–59) Konrad Wagner – 4 caps – (1959–63) Manfred Kaiser – 31 caps – (1955–64) Siegfried Wolf – 17 caps – (1955–59) Steffen Krauß – 2 caps – (1985) Willi Marquardt – 1 cap – (1956; for Rotation Babelsberg) Willy Tröger – 15 caps – (1954–59)

Other national teams   Ervin Skela – 75 caps – (2000–11)   Skerdilaid Curri – 1 cap – (2007)   Dimitrij Nazarov – 22 caps – (2014–)   Moudachirou Amadou – 17 caps – (1996–03)   Dimitar Rangelov – 40 caps – (2004–16)   Adam Petrouš – 4 caps – (2002–03)   Richard Dostálek – 5 caps – (1996–03)   David Siradze – 28 caps – (2004–11)   Albert Bunjaku – 6 caps – (2014–16)   Vīts Rimkus – 73 caps – (1995–08)   Arvydas Novikovas – 58 caps – (2010–)   Borislav Tomovski – 2 caps – (1994)   Nikolče Noveski – 64 caps – (2004–13)   Danny Sonner – 13 caps – (1997–04)   Andrzej Juskowiak – 39 caps – (1992–01)   Marcin Adamski – 3 caps – (2003–05)   Tomasz Kos – 3 caps – (2000–02)   Adam Nemec – 27 caps – (2006–19)   Mišo Brečko – 77 caps – (2004–15)   Bobby Wood – 29 caps – (2013–18)

Coaching history

Kurt Gogsch (1946–50) Walter Fritzsch (1950 – May 1952) Rolf Kukowitsch (May – June 1952) Karl Dittes (July 1952 – Aug 1955) Fritz Gödicke (Aug 1955–31 May 1958) Günter Horst (1 June – Sept 1958) Gerhard Hofmann (Sept 1958 – July 1960) Manfred Fuchs (July 1960–4 March 1962) Armin Günther (10 March 1962 – 30 June 1965) Bringfried Müller (1 July 1965 – 10 November 1967) Gerhard Hofmann (10 Nov 1967 – 30 June 1971) Bringfried Müller (23 July 1971 – 30 June 1977) Manfred Fuchs (1 July 1977 – 30 June 1981) Hans-Ulrich Thomale (1 July 1981 – 30 June 1985) Harald Fischer (1 July 1985 – 12 October 1985) Konrad Schaller (13 Oct 1985 – 31 December 1985) Hans Speth (1 Jan 1986 – 16 April 1988) Jürgen Escher (23 April 1988 – 30 June 1988) Ulrich Schulze (1 July 1988 – Dec 1989) Jürgen Escher (Jan – Nov 1990) Klaus Toppmöller (28 Nov 1990 – 30 June 1991) Heinz Eisengrein (1 July 1991 – 21 March 1992) Lutz Lindemann (1 April 1992 – 30 June 1995) Ralf Minge (1 July 1995 – 27 April 1996)

Lutz Lindemann (27 April 1996 – 30 June 1998) Frank Lieberam (1 July 1998 – 8 March 1999) Holger Erler (8 March 1999 – 30 June 1999) Gerd Schädlich (1 July 1999 – 17 December 2007) Roland Seitz (1 Jan 2008 – 19 April 2008) Heiko Weber (21 April 2008 – 3 June 2009) Rico Schmitt (8 June 2009 – 21 February 2012) Karsten Baumann (22 Feb 2012 – 29 April 2013) Falko Götz (29 April 2013 – 2 September 2014) Tomislav Stipić (9 September 2014 – 27 May 2015) Pavel Dochev (4 June 2015 – 28 February 2017) Domenico Tedesco (8 March – 30 June 2017) Thomas Letsch (1 July 2017 – 14 August 2017) Robin Lenk (14 August 2017 – 8 September 2017) Hannes Drews (8 September 2017 – 9 July 2018) Daniel Meyer (8 September 2017 – 13 June 2018) Hannes Drews (14 June 2018 – 19 August 2019) Marc Hensel (19 August 2019 – 26 August 2019) Dirk Schuster (26 August 2019 – 30 June 2021) Aleksey Shpilevsky (1 July 2021 – 19 September 2021) Marc Hensel and Carsten Müller (21 September 2021 – 23 February 2022) Pavel Dochev (23 February 2022 – 15 May 2022) Timo Rost (1 June 2022 – 20 September 2022) Carsten Müller (20 September 2022 – 7 December 2022) Pavel Dochev (7 December 2022 – )

European record

as SC Wismut Karl-Marx-Stadt

Season	Competition	Round	Nation	Club	Score
1957–58	European Clubs' Champions Cup	PR		Gwardia Warszawa	1–3, 3–1, 1–1
		R16		Ajax	1–3, 0–1
1958–59	European Clubs' Champions Cup	PR		Petrolul Ploiești	4–2, 0–2, 4–0
		R16		IFK Göteborg	2–2, 4–0
		QF		Young Boys	2–2, 0–0, 1–2
1960–61	European Clubs' Champions Cup	R16		Glenavon	walkover
		QF		Rapid Wien	1–3, 2–0, 0–1

as BSG Wismut Aue

Season	Competition	Round	Nation	Club	Score
1985–86	UEFA Cup	1/32		Dniprou Dnipropetrovsk	1–3, 1–2
1987–88	UEFA Cup	1/32		Valur	0–0, 1–1
		1/16		Flamurtari Vlorë	1–0, 0–2

References

1. *Grüne, Hardy (2001). Vereinslexikon. Kassel: AGON Sportverlag ISBN 3-89784-147-9
2. Dennis, Mike; Grix, Jonathan (2012). Sport Under Communism: Behind the East German 'Miracle'. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. p. 140. ISBN 978-0-230-22784-2. OCLC 779529923.
3. "East Germany 1959". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
4. "The UEFA Cup 1985/86 – BSG Wismut Aue (GDR)". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
5. "The UEFA Cup 1987/88 – BSG Wismut Aue (GDR)". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
6. Das deutsche Fußball-Archiv (in German) Historical German domestic league tables
7. FC Erzgebirge Aue at Fussball.de (in German) Tables and results of all German football leagues
8. "Football club condemns fans' Nazi banners". thelocal.de. 9 February 2015. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
9. "German side Erzgebirge Aue fined for banner comparing RB Leipzig to Nazis". The Guardian. 13 March 2015. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
10. "Spieltag/Tabelle". DFB – Deutscher Fußball-Bund e.V. (in German). 11 March 2014. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
11. "Spieltag/Tabelle". DFB – Deutscher Fußball-Bund e.V. (in German). 18 March 2014. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
12. "Spieltag/Tabelle". DFB – Deutscher Fußball-Bund e.V. (in German). 11 March 2014. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
13. "Spieltag/Tabelle". DFB – Deutscher Fußball-Bund e.V. (in German). 11 March 2014. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
14. "Spieltag/Tabelle". DFB – Deutscher Fußball-Bund e.V. (in German). 11 March 2014. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
15. NOFV-Oberliga Süd tables and results 1994–present (in German) Fussballdaten.de. Retrieved 24 February 2014

External links

 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to FC Erzgebirge Aue.

• Official website