The Unwanted
Michael Ballack - the “Capitano”: but in Köln,
Michael Ballack - the “Capitano”: but in Köln, simply “not one of us”.
simply “not one of us”. Ballack became synonymous with Bayer Leverkusen’s rise between 1999 and 2002. After a 2-0 win over Schalke in March 2011, he was finished in Köln when he used a megaphone on the fence at the BayArena to chant “Scheiß FC Köln” twice. The DFB fined him 8,000 euros.
The words could not be unsaid, and even his later apology changed nothing.
From that point on, Ballack was persona non grata in Cologne.
Ralph Hasenhüttl - gifted away to Fürth: Austrians
Ralph Hasenhüttl - gifted away to Fürth: Austrians generally feel quite at home in the cathedral city - think Toni Polster or coach Peter Stöger.
generally feel quite at home in the cathedral city - think Toni Polster or coach Peter Stöger. One alpine footballer, however, did not. Ralph Hasenhüttl arrived in 1998 to fire FC straight back up after the first relegation.
The plan failed.
In 41 second-division matches, the striker from Graz scored only three times and was allowed to leave for Greuther Fürth on a free. “Lucky for FC,” as the Rheinische Post put it.
KOE Quiz BETA
Test your knowledge
The KOE Quiz tests your knowledge about 1. FC Köln — from the club's founding to legendary matches and current Bundesliga statistics. Six multiple-choice questions, four options, only one is correct. After each question you'll learn the background — facts that surprise even die-hard fans.
How many questions does the KOE Quiz have?
The quiz consists of six multiple-choice questions with four options each. Questions cover club history, current Bundesliga data, and predictions.
Where do the quiz questions come from?
Questions are automatically generated from the Akte chapters of 1. FC Köln — based on over 100 researched facts, current standings data, and Oracle predictions.
How often is there a new quiz?
New quiz questions appear twice a week (Monday and Thursday). Questions are compiled by AI from current and historical data.
Question 1 of 6
Dark Chapters
Oliver Held - the hand: from Köln’s point
Oliver Held - the hand: from Köln’s point of view, the Schalke midfielder’s hand is still to blame for the club’s first-ever relegation.
of view, the Schalke midfielder’s hand is still to blame for the club’s first-ever relegation. On 29 April 1998, in a rearranged matchday game, FC had the chance to gain breathing room in the relegation battle. In the 80th minute René Tretschok fired towards goal from 14 metres; with Jens Lehmann beaten, Oliver Held reacted instinctively and pushed the ball over the bar - with his hand.
The gross unsporting act went unpunished, not least because Held lied when the referee questioned him.
Köln lost 1-0 and those three points they might have gained there ultimately proved the difference. Held later admitted as much.
Toni Polster’s curse was fittingly colourful: may Held have no luck ever again in life.