Walter Adrián Samuel is an Argentine former professional footballer. Samuel has been regarded as one of the best centre-backs of his generation, and as one of football's toughest defenders, with former international teammate and Inter captain Javier Zanetti referring to him as the "hardest player" he has played with.
Ottmar Hitzfeld is a German former professional football player and a former manager. He accumulated a total of 18 major titles, mostly in his tenures with Grasshopper Club Zürich, Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich.
Scott Kenneth Chipperfield is an Australian former soccer player who played as a midfielder for Wollongong Wolves, FC Basel, FC Aesch and Australia. His 2010 FIFA World Cup profile describes him "as a talented attacker with great physical ability and an eye for goal." He is also known for his versatility in playing in both right and left midfield and as a left sided defender.
Ciriaco Sforza is a Swiss football manager and former professional player who last managed Swiss Super League club Basel. After beginning his career with Swiss clubs FC Aarau and Grasshopper Club Zürich, he most notably played for Internazionale in Italy, and 1. FC Kaiserslautern, and FC Bayern Munich in Germany. Sforza represented the Switzerland national team 79 times, and represented his country at the international 1994 World Cup and Euro 96 tournaments.
Benjamin "Beni" Huggel is a Swiss former footballer who played as a midfielder for FC Basel in the Swiss Super League and for Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga.
Yann Sommer is a Swiss professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Serie A club Inter Milan and the Switzerland national team.
Valentin Stocker is a Swiss former professional footballer who played as a left midfielder, He also played as attacking midfielder. He also played for the Switzerland national team.
Fabian Frei is a Swiss professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder and a centre-back for Swiss Super League club Basel and the Switzerland national team. Until June 2011, he played for the Swiss U-21 team. He made his international debut for Swiss senior team on 7 October 2011. He was selected to represent Switzerland at the 2012 Summer Olympics. He is of no relation to former club and country teammate Alexander Frei.
Markus Steinhöfer is a German former professional footballer who played as a right-back.
Aleksandar Dragović is an Austrian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Serbian SuperLiga club Red Star Belgrade and the Austria national team. He is well known for his performances as a tough-tackling centre-back.
Xherdan Shaqiri is a Swiss professional footballer who plays as a winger for Major League Soccer club Chicago Fire and the Switzerland national team.
The 2011–12 UEFA Champions League was the 57th season of Europe's premier club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 20th season in its current Champions League format. As part of a trial that started in the 2009–10 UEFA Europa League, two extra officials – one behind each goal – were used in all matches of the competition from the play-off round.
The Swiss football club FC Basel began their 2010–11 season with various warm-up matches against Swiss lower league, Ukrainian Vyscha Liha, and Ligue 1 clubs. The aims for the team during the 2010–11 season were to take back the league and cup titles as well as to qualify for the UEFA Champions League.
Tomáš Vaclík is a Czech professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Spanish Segunda División club Albacete and the Czech Republic national team.
Taulant Ragip Xhaka is a professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Swiss Super League club Basel. Born in Switzerland, he represented the Albania national team.
Ricardo Iván Rodríguez Araya is a Swiss professional footballer who plays as a left-back for and captains Serie A club Torino and the Switzerland national team.
The 2011–12 season is FC Basel's 119th in existence and the club's 18th consecutive season in the top flight of Swiss football. FC Basel started their season with various warm-up matches against teams from Switzerland, Germany, Georgia, France and Romania and played against Hertha BSC and West Ham United at the 2011 Uhrencup in Grenchen. This season, Basel earned the so-called "Title Hattrick", that is, three consecutive Swiss Super League championships. They won the Swiss Cup after defeating FC Luzern in the final, and reached the knockout phase of the Champions League, losing to the eventual finalists Bayern Munich 1–7 on aggregate.
Heiko Vogel is a German football manager. He was most recently the sporting director and coach of FC Basel.
Viktoria Schnaderbeck is an Austrian former professional footballer who last played for Arsenal in the FA WSL. She was the captain of the Austrian national team. She previously played for FC Bayern Munich in Germany's Frauen-Bundesliga, LUV Graz in Austria's ÖFB-Frauenliga, and most recently for Tottenham Hotspur on loan from Arsenal in the FA WSL.
Alexandra Tóth is a Hungarian football defender currently playing in the Hungarian First Division for Viktória FC, with whom she has also played the Champions League. She is a member of the Hungarian national team.
