The 1967–68 Bundesliga was the fifth season of the

Bundesliga The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany's primary footba ...

West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...

's premier football league. It began on 18 August 1967 and ended on 28 May 1968.

Eintracht Braunschweig Braunschweiger Turn- und Sportverein Eintracht von 1895 e.V., commonly known as Eintracht Braunschweig () or BTSV (), is a German association football, football and sports club based in Braunschweig, Lower Saxony. The club was one of the founding ...

were the defending champions.

Competition modus

Every team played two games against each other team, one at home and one away. Teams received two points for a win and one point for a draw. If two or more teams were tied on points, places were determined by

goal average A goal is an idea of the future or desired result that a person or a group of people envision, plan and commit to achieve. People endeavour to reach goals within a finite time by setting deadlines. A goal is roughly similar to a purpose or ai ...

. The team with the most points were crowned champions while the two teams with the fewest points were relegated to their respective Regionalliga divisions.

Team changes to 1967–68

Fortuna Düsseldorf Düsseldorfer Turn- und Sportverein Fortuna 1895 e.V., commonly known as Fortuna Düsseldorf (), is a German football club in Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, which competes in the 2. Bundesliga. Founded in 1895, Fortuna entered the league ...

and

Rot-Weiss Essen Rot-Weiss Essen is a German association football club based in Essen, North Rhine-Westphalia. The club currently plays in the 3. Liga, at the Stadion an der Hafenstraße. The team won the DFB-Pokal in 1953, and the German championship in 195 ...

were relegated to the Regionalliga after finishing in the last two places. They were replaced by Alemannia Aachen and

Borussia Neunkirchen Borussia VfB Neunkirchen is a German association football club based in Neunkirchen, Saarland. The club ''SC Borussia Neunkirchen'' was founded out of the 1907 merger of ''FC 1905 Borussia'' and ''SC Neunkirchen''. History From 1912 through t ...

, who won their respective promotion play-off groups.

Season overview

The 1967–68 season began with an innovation: it was now permissible for teams to substitute out one player ''per'' match. Although such a move was only permitted in case of an injury, it was soon used by the coaches for tactical changes as well. The title was won by 1. FC Nürnberg. The team, led by head coach

Max Merkel Max Merkel (7 December 1918 – 28 November 2006) was an Austrian footballer who played international football for both Germany and Austria as a defender. At club level, he played for Rapid Wien, Wiener SC, and Luftwaffen SV Markersdorf. Manag ...

, consistently collected points and were seven points clear after half the season played. Even a slight collapse near the end of the season could not jeopardize the first Nürnberg Bundesliga title, which also was a record ninth German championship overall for the club. In European competitions, the

European Cup Winners' Cup The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a European football club competition contested annually by the winners of domestic cup competitions. The cup was, chronologically, the second seasonal inter-European club competition organised by UEFA. The tournam ...

saw both West German teams advance into the semi-finals. It needed Italian club

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

to prevent a title hat-trick for Bundesliga sides, eliminating title holders Bayern Munich 2–0 on aggregate before beating

Hamburger SV Hamburger Sport-Verein e.V. (), commonly known as Hamburger SV () or Hamburg (), is a German sports club based in Hamburg, with its largest branch being its football section. Though the current HSV was founded in June 1919 from a merger of three ...

, who were the fourth West German team in the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...

in four consecutive years, at

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"N ...

Feijenoord Stadion Stadion Feijenoord (), more commonly known by its nickname De Kuip (, the Tub), is a stadium in Rotterdam, Netherlands. It was completed in 1937. The name is derived from the Feijenoord district in Rotterdam, and from the club with the same na ...

by the same score. Hamburg had reached the final by beating Welsh side Cardiff City 4–3 on aggregate. The achievement eased the disappointment on another lackluster season by the club from North Germany, who finished its campaign only in 13th place. The bottom side of the table saw an early decision in the relegation race.

and

Karlsruher SC Karlsruher SC is a German association football club, based in Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg that currently plays in the 2. Bundesliga, the second tier of German football. Domestically, the club was crowned German champion in 1909, and won the DF ...

were demoted to the Regionalliga with four matchdays to play. Both teams clearly lacked quality players on both sides of the pitch, as they provided the poorest attacks and defences of all clubs.

Team overview

League table

Results

Top goalscorers

;27 goals * Johannes Löhr ''( 1. FC Köln)'' ;25 goals *

Franz Brungs Franz Brungs (born 4 December 1936) is a German retired football coach and player. As a player, he spent eight seasons in the Bundesliga with Borussia Dortmund, 1. FC Nürnberg and Hertha BSC. Honours * Bundesliga: 1967–68 * DFB-Pokal T ...

''( 1. FC Nürnberg)'' ;19 goals *

Herbert Laumen Herbert Laumen (born 11 August 1943) is a German former professional footballer who played as a striker. He scored more than 120 Bundesliga goals. Laumen won two caps for the West Germany national team in the late 1960s. Honours Borussia M� ...

''(

Borussia Mönchengladbach Borussia Verein für Leibesübungen 1900 e. V. Mönchengladbach, commonly known as Borussia Mönchengladbach (), Mönchengladbach () or Gladbach (; abbreviated as Borussia MG, BMG), is a professional Association football, football club based in ...

)'' * Peter Meyer ''(

)'' *

Gerd Müller Gerhard "Gerd" Müller (; 3 November 1945 – 15 August 2021) was a German professional footballer. A striker renowned for his clinical finishing, especially in and around the six-yard box, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest goalsco ...

''( Bayern Munich)'' *

Rainer Ohlhauser Rainer Ohlhauser (born 6 January 1941 in Dilsberg, Rhein-Neckar-Kreis) is a German former footballer who played as a striker during the 1960s and 1970s. Ohlhauser began his career with SV Sandhausen in 1958 before moving to FC Bayern Munich in 1 ...

''( Bayern Munich)'' ;18 goals *

Lothar Emmerich Lothar "Emma" Emmerich (29 November 1941 – 13 August 2003) was a German football player and manager who played as a forward. He was born in Dortmund-Dorstfeld and died in Hemer. He won five caps for West Germany in 1966. Emmerich scored 115 ...

''(

Borussia Dortmund Ballspielverein Borussia 09 e. V. Dortmund, commonly known as Borussia Dortmund (), BVB (), or simply Dortmund (), is a German professional sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is best known for its men's professional footb ...

)'' *

Heinz Strehl Heinz Strehl (20 July 1938 – 11 August 1986) was a German footballer who played as a forward. Career A Bundesliga title-winner with 1. FC Nürnberg in 1968, Heinz Strehl was one of the proven goalscorers in West Germany in the 1960s and abl ...

''( 1. FC Nürnberg)'' ;17 goals *

Horst Köppel Horst Köppel (born 17 May 1948) is a German football manager and former player who last worked as manager for FC Ingolstadt 04 in 2009. Playing career Köppel scored 83 goals in the West German top-flight. For the West Germany national team ...

''(

VfB Stuttgart Verein für Bewegungsspiele Stuttgart 1893 e. V., commonly known as VfB Stuttgart (), is a German sports club based in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg. The club's football team is currently part of Germany's first division, the Bundesliga. VfB Stu ...

)'' ;16 goals * Rainer Budde ''(

MSV Duisburg Meidericher Spielverein 02 e. V. Duisburg, commonly known as simply MSV Duisburg (), is a Football in Germany, German association football club based in Duisburg, North Rhine-Westphalia. Nicknamed ''Die Zebras'' for their traditional striped jers ...

)'' * Werner Görts ''(

Werder Bremen Sportverein Werder Bremen von 1899 e. V. (), commonly known as Werder Bremen (), Werder or simply Bremen, is a German professional sports club based in Bremen, Free Hanseatic City of Bremen. Founded on 4 February 1899, they are best known for the ...

)''

Champion squad

References

External links

DFB Bundesliga archive 1967/1968
{{DEFAULTSORT:1967-68 Bundesliga Bundesliga seasons 1

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...