The 2011–12 Swiss Super League season was the 115th season of top-tierfootball in Switzerland. It began on 16 July 2011 and ended on 23 May 2012.[1]
Basel successfully defended their title. No team was directly relegated after Neuchâtel Xamax were expelled midway through the season over severe financial irregularities.
The league comprised the best eight sides from the 2010–11 season, the 2010–11 Swiss Challenge League champions Lausanne-Sport, and Servette, the winners of the relegation/promotion play-off between the ninth-placed Super League team and the Challenge League runners-up.
This section needs expansion with: Information on the proceedings around FC Sion (points deduction), Neuchâtel Xamax (license revoked) and FC Luzern (continued fan protests against the club). You can help by adding to it. (January 2012)
Teams
FC St. Gallen were relegated after finishing in last place of the table after the 2010–11 season. The club thus completed a two-year tenure in the Super League. St. Gallen were replaced by 2010–11 Challenge League champions FC Lausanne-Sport, who returned to the highest football league of Switzerland after a nine-year absence.
A further spot in the league was contested in a relegation/promotion playoff between ninth-placed AC Bellinzona and Challenge League runners-up Servette FC from Geneva. Both teams played a two-legged series, which was won by Servette, 3–2 on aggregate. The Geneva side thus returned to the Super League after six years, while Bellinzona were relegated to the Challenge League after three years in the highest Swiss football league.
Source: RSSSF Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored. (C) Champions; (D) Disqualified; (O) Play-off winners; (R) Relegated Notes:
^ abBecause 2011–12 Swiss Cup winners Basel qualified for the Champions League, and runners-up Luzern qualified for the Europa League through league position, the distribution of the Europa League spots reverted to league position.
^Sion were deducted 36 points for fielding ineligible players.[3]
^Neuchâtel Xamax's license was revoked with immediate effect and they were expelled from the Swiss Football League on 18 January 2012 after not providing necessary financial documents and guarantees.[4] The first-half results of the club will be kept while any matches in spring involving Xamax were cancelled.[5]
Results
All ten clubs played twice against each other during the first half of the season, once at home and once away, for a total of 18 matches. As Neuchâtel Xamax had their license revoked during the winter break, the club's second-half matches were entirely cancelled. The second half of the season thus was competed by only nine clubs, which played another double round-robin schedule; each of these nine clubs hence had played 34 matches at the end of the season.[5]