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Deceased January 21: Marcel Mauron (1929–2022).
1954/55 was his season. He won his second league title with FC La Chaux-de-Fonds. At that time he contributed 30 goals and became the top scorer. The winger played 22 games for the national team. At the home World Cup in 1954 he was in the squad, but did not play any minutes.
Deceased February 5: Ernst Lämmli (1939–2022).
The fact that FC Aarau surprisingly became champion in 1993 was mainly due to the passionate pillar smoker. Between 1989 and 2000 he was the head of FCA. He later became a delegate for the Swiss national football team and was thus head of national team coaches Köbi Kuhn and Ottmar Hitzfeld. In 2012, he fractured his skull in a fall. He suffered from the consequences of the accident until his death.
Deceased June 9: Fritz Brühlmann (1936–2022).
Born in Schaffhausen, he was the most successful bike mechanic in Switzerland. Between 1967 and 2015 he looked after numerous cycling aces, including legends such as Urs Freuler and Fabian Cancellara. Freuler: «Fritz was a strict but good person. He was there for every one of my World Championship medals and always made sure that I had the best material. I remember that he never gave up his fast bikes in training, only in the races. So I felt like I was flying.”
Deceased August 2nd: Hans Bangerter (1924–2022).
Many no longer know his name, but Bangerter was, among other things, the inventor of the legendary away goal rule in the European Football Cup. When he was the preferred candidate for Uefa General Secretary in 1960, he only agreed on the condition that Uefa move its headquarters from Paris to Switzerland. Said and done. He only resigned in 1988. The low point of his career as an official: the Heysel tragedy in 1985, when 39 people died. Bangerter was there at the time and knew early on that the day would end fatally. But even he couldn’t prevent the drama.
Nicolas Schindelholz († 34)
Deceased August 18: Nicolas Schindelholz (1988–2022).
Swiss football was in shock when the sad news broke during the cup duel between Aarau and Basel: Schindelholz had lost the fight against lung cancer. The defender had fought the disease for two years. It was a fight he couldn’t win. Timm Klose, once a teammate in FCB’s U21s and at Thun, needed a few words to pay tribute to him: “He was just a great guy!”
Simon Hallenbarter († 43)
Deceased October 3 Simon Hallenbarter (1979–2022).
“It is with great pain that we must let you go. We are infinitely sad, but also grateful for the many beautiful years and memories together.” With these words, the family said goodbye to the former biathlete in the obituary. “Hard shell, soft core,” is how teammate Selina Gasparin described the Valais. Very few people knew what it looked like inside him. He took his own life while on vacation in Austria.
Deceased 6 November: Hans Hess (1932–2022).
Medal tailor, suit professor: Hans Hess had many nicknames. He is regarded as the inventor of modern racing gear in the ski circuit. From 1971 he dressed the Swiss alpine team and immediately celebrated great success: three times Olympic gold in 1972 in Sapporo. After his death, Swiss Ski President Urs Lehmann explained how large the Zurich native’s share in Swiss triumphs was: “Hans Hess was one of the master builders of Swiss over-successes in alpine skiing, for decades.”
Deceased 21 November Karim Gazzetta (1995–2022).
Nico Elvedi, Manuel Akanji, Kevin Mbabu – they were Gazzetta’s teammates in the U20 national team. But while the others then really took off, he never made the big breakthrough. Last summer he moved from Xamax to Bosnia-Herzegovina to Zrinjski Mostar. There he soon lost his regular place – also because of injuries. On November 21, he was found dead in front of his home in Mostar. The police assume suicide.
Elijah Alessandrini († 25)
Deceased 16 December: Elia Alessandrini (1997–2022).
Those who knew him raved about him in the highest tones. While he “only” made it into the Challenge League as a footballer, as a person he was at the level of the Champions League. His mother Patrizia: “He was the best son you can imagine. He was a kind-hearted person who was never in a bad mood and always smiled. He was sunshine.”
Always with a smile: That’s how Dietrich Mateschitz († 78) was known.
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These foreign athletes also had to leave in 2022
19.1.: Dixie Dörner († 70)
The Beckenbauer of the East played 100 international matches for the GDR.
February 6: Ronnie Hellstrom († 72)
The Swede was one of the world’s best football goalies at the time. In Kaiserslautern he was a cult.
March 10: Jürgen Grabowski († 77)
The Eintracht Frankfurt legend became European champion in 1972 and world champion in 1974.
March 13: Vic Elford († 86)
“Quick Vic” was one of the most successful long-distance racers in the world in the 1960s and 1970s.
16.3.: Egidius Braun († 97)
Between 1992 and 2001 he was President of the German Football Association.
April 13: Freddy Rincón († 55)
The former captain of the Colombian national team died in a traffic accident.
April 16: Joachim Streich († 71)
229 goals in 378 games: Streich was considered the Gerd Müller of the East.
April 30: Mino Raiola († 54)
The Italian was the star among football players’ agents. His clients: Haaland, Ibrahimovic, Pogba and Co.
May 1: Ivica Osim († 80)
He was coach of Yugoslavia and celebrated great successes with Sturm Graz.
May 3: Tony Brooks († 90)
The Briton was the last surviving Formula 1 GP winner of the 1950s.
July 21: Uwe Seeler († 85)
“Us Uwe” was one of the greatest footballers in Germany. In 1966 he became Vice World Champion.
July 31: Bill Russell († 88)
11 NBA titles: No other basketball player has been more successful in North America.
September 28: Bruno Bolchi († 82)
The former Inter captain was the first footballer to be immortalized in a Panini picture.
4.10.: Jürgen Sundermann († 82)
The German played for Basel and Servette, then coached Servette and GC.
22.10.: Dietrich Mateschitz († 78)
Formula 1, football, ice hockey: Mister Red Bull has invested billions in the sport.
November 14: Werner Franke († 82)
The German was one of the leading experts on doping issues worldwide.
November 30th: Davide Rebellin (†51)
The Italian ex-cycling star was run over by a truck while training.
1.12. Ercole Baldini (†89)
Olympic champion, world champion, Giro winner: Baldini was an Italian cycling legend.
December 4: Patrick Tambay († 73)
The Frenchman won two Formula 1 races in a Ferrari in the 1980s. He suffered from Parkinson’s.
December 4th: Nick Bollettieri († 91)
The US coach formed numerous tennis players into world stars in his academy.
December 16: Sinisa Mihajlovic († 53)
The ex-footballer and coach lost years of battle with leukemia.
Always with a smile: That’s how Dietrich Mateschitz († 78) was known.
Getty Images
19.1.: Dixie Dörner († 70)
The Beckenbauer of the East played 100 international matches for the GDR.
February 6: Ronnie Hellstrom († 72)
The Swede was one of the world’s best football goalies at the time. In Kaiserslautern he was a cult.
March 10: Jürgen Grabowski († 77)
The Eintracht Frankfurt legend became European champion in 1972 and world champion in 1974.
March 13: Vic Elford († 86)
“Quick Vic” was one of the most successful long-distance racers in the world in the 1960s and 1970s.
16.3.: Egidius Braun († 97)
Between 1992 and 2001 he was President of the German Football Association.
April 13: Freddy Rincón († 55)
The former captain of the Colombian national team died in a traffic accident.
April 16: Joachim Streich († 71)
229 goals in 378 games: Streich was considered the Gerd Müller of the East.
April 30: Mino Raiola († 54)
The Italian was the star among football players’ agents. His clients: Haaland, Ibrahimovic, Pogba and Co.
May 1: Ivica Osim († 80)
He was coach of Yugoslavia and celebrated great successes with Sturm Graz.
May 3: Tony Brooks († 90)
The Briton was the last surviving Formula 1 GP winner of the 1950s.
July 21: Uwe Seeler († 85)
“Us Uwe” was one of the greatest footballers in Germany. In 1966 he became Vice World Champion.
July 31: Bill Russell († 88)
11 NBA titles: No other basketball player has been more successful in North America.
September 28: Bruno Bolchi († 82)
The former Inter captain was the first footballer to be immortalized in a Panini picture.
4.10.: Jürgen Sundermann († 82)
The German played for Basel and Servette, then coached Servette and GC.
22.10.: Dietrich Mateschitz († 78)
Formula 1, football, ice hockey: Mister Red Bull has invested billions in the sport.
November 14: Werner Franke († 82)
The German was one of the leading experts on doping issues worldwide.
November 30th: Davide Rebellin (†51)
The Italian ex-cycling star was run over by a truck while training.
1.12. Ercole Baldini (†89)
Olympic champion, world champion, Giro winner: Baldini was an Italian cycling legend.
December 4: Patrick Tambay († 73)
The Frenchman won two Formula 1 races in a Ferrari in the 1980s. He suffered from Parkinson’s.
December 4th: Nick Bollettieri († 91)
The US coach formed numerous tennis players into world stars in his academy.
December 16: Sinisa Mihajlovic († 53)
The ex-footballer and coach lost years of battle with leukemia.