# 2016–17 Swiss Super League

The 2016–17 Swiss Super League, also known as the Raiffeisen Super League for sponsoring purposes, was the 120th season of top-tier football in Switzerland and the 14th in the current format. Basel were the defending champions. The fixtures were published on 17 June 2016.
A total of 10 teams competed in the league: the 9 best teams from the 2015–16 season and the 2015–16 Swiss Challenge League champion Lausanne-Sport. The season started on the weekend of 23 and 24 July 2016 and ended on 2 June 2017.
On 28 April 2017, Basel won their 20th league title following their 2–1 away win against Luzern, with six games to spare. It is also their 8th consecutive title.

## Teams
### Stadia and locations

| Club | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
| Basel | Basel | St. Jakob-Park | 38,512 |
| Grasshopper | Zürich | Letzigrund | 23,605 |
| Lausanne | Lausanne | Pontaise | 15,850 |
| Lugano | Lugano | Stadio Cornaredo | 10,500 |
| Luzern | Lucerne | Swissporarena | 17,500 |
| Sion | Sion | Stade Tourbillon | 16,500 |
| St. Gallen | St. Gallen | kybunpark | 19,694 |
| Thun | Thun | Stockhorn Arena | 10,000 |
| Vaduz | Vaduz | Rheinpark Stadion | 7,584 |
| Young Boys | Bern | Stade de Suisse | 31,783 |
* This will be the first season since 1989–90 that there is only one club from Zürich to play in the first tier, because FC Zürich finished in last position and were relegated at the end of the 2015–16 season.

### Personnel

| Team | Manager | Captain | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
| Basel | Urs Fischer | Matías Delgado | Adidas | Novartis |
| Grasshopper | Carlos Bernegger | Munas Dabbur$^1$ | Puma | Ducksch&Anliker/Priora/Kinnarps |
| Lausanne-Sport | Fabio Celestini | Andrea Maccoppi$^2$ | Adidas | BCV |
| Lugano | Paolo Tramezzani | Antoine Rey | Acerbis | AIL SA |
| Luzern | Markus Babbel | Claudio Lustenberger | Adidas | Otto's |
| Sion | Sébastien Fournier | Elsad Zverotić | Erreà | AFX Group |
| St. Gallen | Giorgio Contini | Martin Angha | Jako | St.Galler Kantonalbank |
| Thun | Mauro Lustrinelli | Dennis Hediger | Nike | Panorama Center/Schneider Software |
| Vaduz | Roland Vrabec | Franz Burgmeier | Adidas | Liechtensteinische Landesbank |
| Young Boys | Adi Hütter | Steve von Bergen | Nike | Honda |
* $^1$Dabbur, who was on loan from Red Bull Salzburg, was called back by his parent club before he could play the last game of the season with Grasshopper.
* $^2$The manager decided to give the captaincy to Maccoppi near the end of the season. Before that, Olivier Custodio was the captain.

### Managerial changes

| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of departure | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
| Lugano | Zdenek Zeman | End of contract | 4 June 2016 | Pre-season | Andrea Manzo (interim) | 17 June 2016 |
| Sion | Didier Tholot | Mutual consent | 12 August 2016 | 10th | Peter Zeidler | 22 August 2016 |
| Lugano | Andrea Manzo | Sacked | 19 December 2016 | 8th | Paolo Tramezzani | 20 December 2016 |
| Vaduz | Giorgio Contini | Mutual consent | 7 March 2017 | 10th | Roland Vrabec | 22 March 2017 |
| Grasshopper | Pierluigi Tami | Sacked | 12 March 2017 | 8th | Carlos Bernegger | 12 March 2017 |
| Thun | Jeff Saibene | Signed by Arminia Bielefeld | 19 March 2017 | 7th | Mauro Lustrinelli (interim) | 19 March 2017 |
| Sion | Peter Zeidler | "Rested" pending further decision by the board | 25 April 2017 | 3rd | Sébastien Fournier | 25 April 2017 |
| Sion | Peter Zeidler | Mutual consent | 30 May 2017 | 4th | Sébastien Fournier | 25 April 2017 |
| St. Gallen | Josef Zinnbauer | Sacked | 4 May 2017 | 8th | Giorgio Contini | 4 May 2017 |

## League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Basel (C) | 36 | 26 | 8 | 2 | 92 | 35 | +57 | 86 | Qualification for the Champions League group stage |
| 2 | Young Boys | 36 | 20 | 9 | 7 | 72 | 44 | +28 | 69 | Qualification for the Champions League third qualifying round |
| 3 | Lugano | 36 | 15 | 8 | 13 | 52 | 61 | −9 | 53 | Qualification for the Europa League group stage |
| 4 | Sion | 36 | 15 | 6 | 15 | 60 | 55 | +5 | 51 | Qualification for the Europa League third qualifying round |
| 5 | Luzern | 36 | 14 | 8 | 14 | 62 | 66 | −4 | 50 | Qualification for the Europa League second qualifying round |
| 6 | Thun | 36 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 58 | 63 | −5 | 45 | |
| 7 | St. Gallen | 36 | 11 | 8 | 17 | 43 | 57 | −14 | 41 | |
| 8 | Grasshopper | 36 | 10 | 8 | 18 | 47 | 61 | −14 | 38 | |
| 9 | Lausanne-Sport | 36 | 9 | 8 | 19 | 51 | 62 | −11 | 35 | |
| 10 | Vaduz (R) | 36 | 7 | 9 | 20 | 45 | 78 | −33 | 30 | Qualification for the Europa League first qualifying round and relegation to Challenge League |
* ↑ Since the winners of the 2016–17 Swiss Cup, Basel, qualified for European competition based on league position, the spot awarded to the Swiss Cup winners (Europa League group stage) was passed to the third-placed team, the spot awarded to the third-placed team was passed to the fourth-placed team, and the spot awarded to the fourth-placed team was passed to the fifth-placed team.
* ↑ Vaduz qualified for the UEFA Europa League first qualifying round by winning the 2016–17 Liechtenstein Cup.

### Positions by round

| Team ╲ Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 |
| Basel | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Young Boys | 3 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Lugano | 7 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Sion | 10 | 6 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Luzern | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Thun | 5 | 7 | 10 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| St. Gallen | 9 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| Grasshopper Club Zürich | 2 | 3 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| Lausanne-Sport | 8 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 |
| Vaduz | 6 | 9 | 5 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
* 2017–18 UEFA Champions League group stage
* 2017–18 Champions League third qualifying round
* 2017–18 Europa League third qualifying round
* 2017–18 Europa League second qualifying round
* Relegation to 2017–18 Swiss Challenge League

## Season statistics
### Top goalscorers

| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
| 1 | Seydou Doumbia | Basel | 20 |
| 2 | Guillaume Hoarau | Young Boys | 18 |
| 3 | Ezgjan Alioski | Lugano | 16 |
| 4 | Dejan Sorgić | Thun | 15 |
| 4 | Chadrac Akolo | Sion | 15 |
| 6 | Marco Schneuwly | Luzern | 14 |
| 6 | Caio | Grasshopper | 14 |
| 8 | Marc Janko | Basel | 13 |
| 9 | Albian Ajeti | St. Gallen | 10 |
| 9 | Matías Delgado | Basel | 10 |
| 9 | Mohamed Elyounoussi | Basel | 10 |
| 9 | Christian Fassnacht | Thun | 10 |

### Hat-tricks

| Player | For | Against | Result | Date |
| Marco Mathys | Vaduz | Lugano | 5–1 (H) | 27 November 2016 |
| Mohamed Elyounoussi | Basel | Lugano | 4–0 (H) | 4 February 2017 |
| Nassim Ben Khalifa | Lausanne-Sport | Luzern | 4–4 (H) | 5 February 2017 |
| Nassim Ben Khalifa | Lausanne-Sport | Thun | 4–2 (A) | 8 April 2017 |
| Ezgjan Alioski | Lugano | Sion | 4–2 (H) | 9 April 2017 |
| Dejan Sorgić | Thun | Basel | 3–3 (A) | 14 May 2017 |
(H) – Home; (A) – Away

## Awards
### Annual awards

| Award | Winner | Club |
| Player of the Season | Guillaume Hoarau | Young Boys |
| Young Player of the Season | Denis Zakaria | Young Boys |
| Coach of the Season | Fabio Celestini | Lausanne-Sport |
| Goal of the Season | Carlitos | Sion |
Team of the Year :
| Goalkeeper | Vaclik (Basel) | Vaclik (Basel) | Vaclik (Basel) | Vaclik (Basel) | Vaclik (Basel) | Vaclik (Basel) | Vaclik (Basel) | Vaclik (Basel) | Vaclik (Basel) | Vaclik (Basel) | Vaclik (Basel) | Vaclik (Basel) |
| Defence | Michael Lang (Basel) | Michael Lang (Basel) | Michael Lang (Basel) | Marek Suchý (Basel) | Marek Suchý (Basel) | Marek Suchý (Basel) | Reto Ziegler (Sion) | Reto Ziegler (Sion) | Reto Ziegler (Sion) | Jan Lecjaks (Young Boys) | Jan Lecjaks (Young Boys) | Jan Lecjaks (Young Boys) |
| Midfield | Ezgjan Alioski (Lugano) | Ezgjan Alioski (Lugano) | Ezgjan Alioski (Lugano) | Denis Zakaria (Young Boys) | Denis Zakaria (Young Boys) | Denis Zakaria (Young Boys) | Matías Emilio Delgado (Basel) | Matías Emilio Delgado (Basel) | Matías Emilio Delgado (Basel) | Carlitos (Sion) | Carlitos (Sion) | Carlitos (Sion) |
| Attack | Marco Schneuwly (Luzern) | Marco Schneuwly (Luzern) | Marco Schneuwly (Luzern) | Marco Schneuwly (Luzern) | Marco Schneuwly (Luzern) | Marco Schneuwly (Luzern) | Guillaume Hoarau (Young Boys) | Guillaume Hoarau (Young Boys) | Guillaume Hoarau (Young Boys) | Guillaume Hoarau (Young Boys) | Guillaume Hoarau (Young Boys) | Guillaume Hoarau (Young Boys) |

## Attendance

| Team | Total | Average |
| Basel | 476,705 | 26,484 |
| Young Boys | 325,316 | 18,073 |
| St. Gallen | 225,592 | 12,533 |
| Luzern | 196,557 | 10,920 |
| Sion | 165,100 | 9,172 |
| Thun | 97,288 | 5,405 |
| Grasshopper | 90,200 | 5,011 |
| Lausanne-Sport | 80,722 | 4,485 |
| Vaduz | 73,549 | 4,086 |
| Lugano | 72,498 | 4,027 |
| League total | 1,803,518 | 10,020 |