Roland Paolucci

Roland Paolucci (born 22 September 1947) is a retired Swiss footballer who played for FC Basel during the 1960s and early 1970s. During this time he was loaned out for one season to Winterthur and he ended his playing career playing for Nordstern Basel. He played mainly in the position as defender but also as defensive midfielder. He was player-manager for a few regional clubs in the late 1970s, was youth trainer and later became President of SV Muttenz. In 2006 he was appointed into the regional section of the Swiss Football Association and became president of the FVNWS (North West section) for 13 years. Football career Paolucci started his youth football by FC Basel in 1962. In 1965 he moved up to their first team. In the first two years he played mainly for the reserve team, but also played for the first team in various test matches and in the Cup of the Alps competition. He played his Nationalliga A debut for the club on 22 October 1967 in the home match against Biel-Bienne. Basel won the match 4–0. He also scored his first goal for the club against Biel-Bienne, in the return match on 11 May 1968. But despite his goal, this time his team was defeated. Paolucci then became regular starter in the first team and in Basel's 1968–69 season they won the championship under player-manager Helmut Benthaus. They finished the season one point clear of second placed Lausanne Sports. Basel won 13 of their 26 games, drawing ten, losing three times, they scored 48 goals conceding 28. Paolucci played 22 championship games scoring one goal, this being the equaliser in the home game against Winterthur after Friedhelm Konietzka had put the visitors one up. He won the championship with Basel for the second time at the end of the season 1969–70. The team again finished one point clear of Lausanne Sports who ended the season in second position again. Basel won 15 of the 26 games, drawing seven, losing four times, they scored 59 and conceded 23 goals. During this season Paolucci played 15 league matches. During the following season he had very only a few appearances and a serious knee injury kept him out of the next season entirely.