LOSC Lille (Lille Olympique Sporting Club, French pronunciation: [lil ɔlɛ̃pik]; commonly referred to as Le LOSC, Lille OSC or simply Lille) is a French association football club based in Lille. The club was founded in 1944 as a result of a merger and currently play in Ligue 1, the first division of French football. Lille previously played its home matches at the Stade Lille-Metropole in nearby Villeneuve-d'Ascq. In 2012, the club moved into its new facility, the Grand Stade Lille Métropole. The team is managed by French football figure René Girard and captained by French international Rio Mavuba.
Lille was founded as a result of a merger between Olympique Lillois and SC Fives. Both clubs were founding members of the French Division 1 and Lillois was the league's inaugural champions. Under the Lille emblem, the club has won three league titles in 1946, 1954, and 2011 and six Coupe de France titles, which is tied for fourth-best among clubs. Lille and Red Star FC are the only French clubs in the competition's history to win the Coupe de France in three consecutive seasons. Lille's most successful period was the decade from 1946 to 1956 when the team was led by managers George Berry and André Cheuva.[1][2]
Lille have a long-standing rivalry with its neighbours RC Lens. The two clubs regularly contest the Derby du Nord. Lille is presided over by Michel Seydoux, a French businessman and movie producer. Seydoux initially purchased shares of the club in January 2002 and, subsequently, gained majority control two years later.
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[show]History[edit]
See also: Olympique Lillois and SC Fives
1944-1955: The Glorious Decade[edit]
Before the Second World War, the city of Lille had two clubs in the First Division: The Olympique Lillois, first professional Champion of France in1933, and the Sporting Club Fivois. Weakened by the conflict, the two clubs decided to merge after the Liberation and gave birth to the LOSC (Lille Olympique Sporting Club) in the autumn 1944.
The LOSC was a solid team all over the park and featured a strong British style and immediately imposed itself among the elite of French football. In ten years, Lille won two league titles and reached second place in the French Championship for four consecutive seasons. Its domination was even more striking in the Coupe de France: five wins in seven finals (including five successive finals!). We can also add to this list, a final of the Latin Cup, the forerunner of the European Cup. Trained by André Cheuva, PresidentLouis Henno's team comprised many French internationals such as Jean Baratte and René Bihel, two exceptional strikers, and Joseph Jadrejak, François Bourbotte, Jules Bigot, Roger Carré, Bolek Tempowski, Albert Dubreucq, Jean Lechantre, André Strappe, Jean Vincent.
1956-1980: The Lille Loses Its Way[edit]
Ironically, the LOSC was relegated for the first time in 1956 as the first ever final of the European Cup took place in Paris. From then on, the big club of the immediate post-war period became a mid-table club, and fighting for titles was replaced by the struggle to survive. In the late 1960s, after a long period of anonymity, and weighed down by a lack of facilities and resources, the glorious LOSC abandoned its professional status. It was feared that the club might disappear. However, some young leaders, such as Max Pommerolle, came and gave new impetus to the club. Nevertheless, the results remained erratic and the only titles that ignited the fans' passions were won in the Second Division.
1980-2000: Laying The Foundations For Future Success[edit]
In July 1980, the LOSC was the first French Club to opt for the status of a Mixed Economy Company, of which the City of Lille became the majority shareholder. A by-product of ensuring stability and durability was that this system did not allow an ambitious sports policy. The teams of Presidents Amyot, Deschot and Dewailly all struggled to compete with the top teams in the country. Jacques Amyot’s resignation in 1990 led to three more difficult years for the club which compromised its very existence. It took Bernard Lecomte’s arrival in 1993 to set the club finances on the road to recovery. After a final relegation in 1997, the team trained by Bosnian coach Vahid Halilhodžić was soon promoted back to the elite, in the same year that French Football League was privatised.
2000-Present: A Steady Climb to the Top[edit]
In just its first season back in the top flight 2000–01 French Division 1, the LOSC qualified for Europe for the first time in the club’s history, booking its place in the 2000–01 Champions League. On the back of the club’s new status, the LOSC entered into a decisive new era under the guidance of chairman and Chief executive officer Michel Seydoux and coach Claude Puel. The club left the historical Stade Grimonprez-Jooris to join the Stadium Lille Métropole and became a regular on the European scene. Amongst its most emphatic results was the 1–0 victory over Manchester United at the Stade de France in 2005, the 2–0 triumph over Milan in San Siro in 2006 and the 1–0 home win over Liverpool in 2010. A steady development off the pitch (inauguration of the Domaine de Luchin training complex in 2007, opening of the Grand Stade in 2012), coupled with the sporting progression under the expert hand of coach Rudi Garcia, took the LOSC back to the summit of the French game with the League and Cup double in 2011 (56 years after the club’s last trophy). In 2012, the LOSC confirmed its place at the top table of the domestic game with another qualification for Europe’s most prestigious club competition, the Champions League in 2012–13. With the club finishing just outside the UCL places that season, Rudi Garcia left for A.S Roma, while former Montpellier coach René Girard was appointed the new LOSC manager.[3]
Stadiums[edit]
See also: Stade Jules-Lemaire, Stade Henri-Jooris, Stade Grimonprez-Jooris, Stadium Lille Métropole, and Stade Pierre-Mauroy
Stade Pierre-Mauroy is the best stadium in Frances Nord-Pas-de-Calais. It was inaugurated in 2012. Originally named the Centre Olympique de Lille Est, the club's sporting venue is spread over five hectares and features three natural grass football pitches and one synthetic pitch, as well as a number of buildings including a medical centre and gymnasium. These attributes had seen the club house part of the LOSC Youth Academy here, before all the club's operations were moved to the Domaine de Luchin in Camphin-en-Pé.[4]
Club rivalries[edit]
See also: Derby du Nord
The Derby du Nord is a football match contested between French clubs RC Lens and Lille OSC, two of region's most successful clubs. The derby has the name despite Lille being the only club of the two situated in the department ofNord. Lens are situated in the western department of Pas-de-Calais. The name can also refer to matches involving Lille and Valenciennes as both clubs are located within Nord, however, the match historically refers to matches involving Lille and Lens. As a result, the Lille–Valenciennes match is sometimes referred to as Le Petit Derby du Nord. The two clubs first met in 1937 when Lille were playing under the Olympique Lillois emblem. Due to each club's close proximity towards each other being separated by only 40 kilometres (25 mi) and sociological differences between each club's supporters, a fierce rivalry developed. The Derby du Nord is underpinned by social and economic differences, since the city of Lens is known as an old, working-class, industrial city and Lille as a middle-class, modern, internationally-oriented one. Nowadays the matches, which can spark intense feelings on both sides, have gained prominence as they may determine berths in continental competitions.
Players[edit]
Current squad[edit]
As of 2 September 2013.[5]
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Out on loan[edit]
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Mouscron[edit]
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Reserve squad[edit]
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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For a complete list of Lille OSC players, see Category:Lille OSC players
Management and staff[edit]
- Lille Olympique Sporting Club Lille Métropole (SASP)[8]
- President: Michel Seydoux
- President Adviser: Jean-Michel Van Damme
- Deputy Director: Frédéric Paquet, Didier de Climmer
- Assistant Deputy Director: Sandrine de Castro, Sophie Kaszkowiak
- Senior club staff[8]
- Administrative Director: Julien Mordacq
- Sporting Director: Frédéric Paquet
- Financial Director: Reynald Berghe
- Communications Director: Aurélien Delespierre
- Operations Director: Didier de Climmer
- Marketing Director: Guillaume Gallo
- Coaching and medical staff[8]
- Manager: René Girard
- Recruitment Director: Jean-Luc Buisine
- Doctor: Franck Legall
- Academy Director: Jean-Michel Van Damme
Managerial history[edit]
Former coaches include Georges Heylens (1984–1989), a former Belgian international player, Jacques Santini (1989–92), who managed France between 2002 and 2004, Bruno Metsu (1992–93), who managed Senegal in the 2002 World Cup, Pierre Mankowski (1993–1994), who was formerly the assistant coach of the French national team and Vahid Halilhodžić (1998–2002), who can be credited with the club's revival in the late nineties. The current coach, Rudi Garcia, who played for Lille from 1980 to 1988, replaced Claude Puel at the beginning of the 2008 season. Puel had been with Lille since 2002. Thanks to his successes with the club, Puel had been approached by Portuguese club Porto to replace José Mourinho and league rivals Lyon to replace Alain Perrin; he finally decided to join Lyon after six seasons at the club.
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