Chemnitzer FC

Lore & Background

The club was initially formed by students from Mittweida as Chemnitzer SC Britannia on 2 December 1899. On 28 January 1900, Chemnitzer SC Britannia was a founding member of the German Football Association (DFB) in Leipzig. During April the same year, the club changed its name to Chemnitzer BC 1899. On 8 August 1903, the club became a founding member of the Verband Chemnitzer Fußball-Vereine (VCFV).

This local federation was included into the Verband Mitteldeutscher Fußball-Vereine (VMBV) two years later. Until 1933, Chemnitzer BC were a strong side of the VMBV leagues. They took part in the WMBV's final round fifteen times, reaching the final once in 1927. Despite a 0–4 defeat against VfB Leipzig, Chemnitz qualified for the 1927 German football championship as vice-champions, where they lost in the first round against eventual champions 1.

FC Nürnberg, 1–5. In 1933, Chemnitzer BC 1899 came into financial difficulties. Despite a merger with local rivals SC Sachsen 1909 Chemnitz, bankruptcy and liquidation could not be avoided. The side was then immediately re-formed under the name Chemnitzer BC 1933, which assumed the history of the old club.

CBC 1933 were part of the Gauliga Saxony until the end of World War II. In the aftermath of the conflict, most organizations in Germany, including sports and football clubs, were dissolved by the Allied occupation authorities. The side was re-established in 1945 as SG Chemnitz Nord before, as it was common in East German football at the time, undergoing a number of name changes, from BSG Fewa Chemnitz in 1948 to BSG Chemie Chemnitz in 1951. Upon the renaming of the city of Chemnitz to Karl-Marx-Stadt in 1953, the club followed suit and assumed the new city name as well.

In 1956, the football club was attached to the larger centralized sports club SC Motor Karl-Marx-Stadt, which was in turn renamed SC Karl-Marx-Stadt in 1963. The football department was then once again separated from the sports club as FC Karl-Marx-Stadt in 1966, under a government plan to establish a number of football clubs as centres throughout the country intended to identify and develop talent in support of a strong national side. When the city re-claimed its original name in 1991, the team followed suit to become Chemnitzer FC.

Reader's Guide

In 2019 the club was at the centre of a controversy after the club, some of its players and fans paid tribute to Thomas Haller, a prominent far-right activist, before kick-off against VSG Altglienicke at home on 9 March 2019. Haller, who provided security for the club and co-founded HooNaRa (Hooligans-Nazis-Racists) in the 1990s received a minute's silence, while a picture of Haller was displayed on a large screen at the stadium. Chemnitzer FC forward Daniel Frahn held up a shirt honouring Haller and other 'local hooligans'.

The club's chief executive, Thomas Uhlig, resigned as a result of the controversy, and Sparkasse Chemnitz said it would no longer sponsor the club after the end of that season. The incident led to a four-match suspension and a €3,000 fine for Chemnitzer FC striker Frahn, who had held up a 'Support your local hools!' T-shirt during the tribute to Haller. In August that year, while sidelined with injury, Frahn was seen among supporters affiliated with far-right groups such as 'Kaotic Chemnitz' and the now-defunct 'NS Boys' during a match against Hallescher FC.

The club responded by terminating his contract for 'massive club-damaging behaviour', citing his apparent sympathy with extremist fan elements. The dismissal provoked support for Frahn from a portion of the fanbase, some of whom chanted racist and anti-Semitic slogans at subsequent matches. Frahn issued a public statement denying far-right affiliations and condemning the offensive chants, which included 'at least Daniel Frahn isn't a negro' and 'Thomas Sobotzik, you Jewish pig'.

He said his intent had been to maintain strong ties with supporters, not to endorse extremist ideologies. Nonetheless, the club lodged police complaints over the chants and affirmed its opposition to discrimination. Chemnitz, where the club is based, has shown significant far-right electoral support, with the Alternative for Germany gaining 23.5% of the vote locally in the 2019 European Parliament election in Germany. Nevertheless, Chemnitzer FC has publicly committed to promoting inclusivity and distancing itself from extremist influences.

Did You Know?

• Chemnitzer FC's predecessor, Chemnitzer BC 1899, was a founding member of the German Football Association (DFB) in Leipzig on 28 January 1900.
• The club won the East German championship in 1967 and was runner-up in the FDGB Cup three times (1969, 1983, 1989).
• In the 1989–90 UEFA Cup, Chemnitzer FC were eliminated in the first round by Juventus.
• The club was renamed SC Karl-Marx-Stadt in 1966, and later became FC Karl-Marx-Stadt in 1990.