FC Rot-Weiß Erfurt

Foundation to World War II

The club has roots that go back to a cricket club founded in 1895. As they broadened their interests they came to be called Sport Club Erfurt. The club was a founding member of the German Football Association in 1900 and in 1904 they joined the Verband Mitteldeutscher Ballspielvereine (Central German Football League). The side won the league championship in 1908–09 and advanced as far as the semi final of the national round where they lost to the eventual champion. While Erfurt did manage to play for a number of seasons in the premier level Gauliga Mitte, formed after 1933, they failed to earn any honours.

Post-World War II era

Historical chart of Rot-Weiß Erfurt league performance after WWII

In the aftermath of World War II the Allies banned all organizations, including sport and football clubs. In 1946, the Soviet occupation authorities permitted the organization of five district sports clubs in Erfurt. SG Erfurt West encompassed the area of the city once served by SC Erfurt 1895 and VfB Erfurt and drew footballers who had played for these clubs. Success came quickly with an appearance in the 1948 Thüringer final, followed by a title in 1949. A quick series of name changes went hand-in-hand with a series of failed cup and final appearances: as Fortuna Erfurt in 1949, KWU Erfurt in 1950, and BSG Turbine Erfurt in 1951. In 1954 and 1955, Turbine captured consecutive East German national titles, but then slipped back into the pack and out of tier I for the first time in 1959. The team was up and down between the first and second divisions through the 60s, being relegated three times, but always winning immediate promotion. Like other East German clubs at the time they suffered as the best players were routinely plucked to play for favoured clubs with politically powerful sponsors.

1960s–1980s

East German football underwent major changes in 1965 with the creation of "pure" football clubs in the place of broadly generalised sports clubs. The number one football sides of SC Turbine Erfurt and BSG Optima Erfurt were merged in 1966 and revived the name FC Rot-Weiß Erfurt, while the more junior sides stayed with their original clubs. The name (Rot-Weiß meaning the two colours red and white) was unusual for its time in that the club did not have a name that honoured some socialist virtue. In 1980, Rot-Weiß Erfurt appeared in the East German Cup final, losing to Carl Zeiss Jena (1–3).

Reunification to present

Stand 3, home of "Erfordia Ultras"

German re-unification and the merger of the leagues of East and West Germany in the early 1990s brought exciting times to Rot-Weiß. A third-place finish in the NOFV-Oberliga in 1990–91 earned them a spot in the 2. Bundesliga for the next season, as well as a turn in the UEFA Cup 1991–92. They eliminated FC Groningen in the first round, and went out against eventual winner AFC Ajax Amsterdam in the second round. This fixture made them the last side to appear internationally for East Germany.

Through the 1990s and into the new millennium, Rot-Weiß remained a tier three side. They had a close call in 2001 when they avoided relegation only because SSV Ulm 1846 was denied a license due to financial difficulties. During this period of time, the club went through to the regional cup final seven times. They came away as Thuringian cup winner each time which qualifies for the nationwide German cup (DFB-Pokal). Unfortunately, they were never able to make it past this point and were always subsequently eliminated in the first round. In 2004, the club was promoted to 2.Bundesliga, but finished last and consequently was relegated back to Regionalliga Nord (III). In 2008, Erfurt finished in seventh place in Regionalliga Nord (III) and therefore qualified for the new nationwide 3. Liga. It has played at this level ever since, which makes the club the only side to play 3. Liga continuously since the foundation of this league in 2008. Fifth places in 2011 and 2012 are the best results as yet.

League competitions

• DDR-Oberliga:
  • Winners: 1953–54, 1954–55
  • Runners-up: 1950–51
• Soviet Zone championship:
  • Runners-up: 1948–49
• Verband Mitteldeutscher Ballspiel-Vereine:
  • Champions: 1908–09
• Thuringian Gau championship:
  • Winners: 1902–03, 1903–04, 1904–05, 1905–06, 1906–07, 1907–08, 1908–09, 1909–10, 1911–12, 1916–17, 1918–19, 1919–20
• Northern Thuringia Gau championship:
  • Winners: 1910–11, 1911–12, 1913–14, 1916–17, 1917–18, 1923–24, 1926–27, 1931–32, 1932–33
• Thüringian championship:
  • Winners: 1948–49

Cup competitions

• FDGB-Pokal:
  • Runners-up: 1949–50, 1979–80
• Thuringia Cup:
  • Winners: 1993–94, 1997–98, 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2004–05^‡, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2016–17
  • Runners-up: 1995–96, 1996–97, 2003–04^‡, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2015–16
• ^‡ Won by reserve team.

Current squad

As of 21 April 2018^[1]

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

No. Position Player 1 GK Philipp Klewin 2 DF Charalampos Chantzopoulos 4 DF Berkay Dabanlı 5 DF Florian Neuhold 6 DF André Laurito 7 MF Theodor Bergmann 8 MF Liridon Vocaj 9 FW Tugay Uzan 10 MF Daniel Brückner 11 MF Nermin Crnkić 13 MF Alexander Ludwig 14 DF Marius Wegmann 15 MF Lion Lauberbach 16 DF Kusi Kwame 17 DF Luka Odak 18 MF Ahmed Waseem Razeek

No. Position Player 19 MF Merveille Biankadi 20 MF Bastian Kurz 21 DF Jens Möckel 23 GK Maximilian Engl 24 MF Morten Rüdiger 26 DF Ben-Luca Moritz 27 FW Carsten Kammlott 28 DF Wilfried Sarr 29 MF Samir Benamar 30 MF Marcel Kaffenberger 31 GK Julian Knoll 32 FW Elias Huth (on loan from Hannover 96) 33 MF Tobias Kraulich 36 DF Marc Fleischhauer 37 FW Christopher Bieber 39 MF Hans Oeftger