Valenciennes

Valenciennes is a football (soccer) club from France.

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The Valenciennes Football Club (known as "Valenciennes FC" or as "USVA", the acronym of a previous name) is a Football in France club from the town of Valenciennes in the Nord (department) Departments of France. Valenciennes was founded in 1913. In the 2005-06 season, it competed in Ligue 2 (Division 2), with Francis Decourrière as general manager and Antoine Kombouaré as head coach. In 2006, they returned to the top flight after more than a decade's exile and maintained their Ligue 1 status at the end of this season.

Trophies

- Champions Ligue 2 : 1971/72, 2005/06.
- Champions Championnat National: 2004/05.
- Runners-up Division 2 : 1934/35, 1936/37, 1961/62, 1974/75, 1991/92.
- Division 4 Champions: 1997/98.
- French Cup: Finalists: 1950/51.

Chronology

The beginnings of the Valenciennes club

Valenciennes FC was founded in 1913 by a group of young men, notably Mssrs Colson, Joly and Bouly. With the World War I in progress, Valenciennes made little impact at first. However, in 1916 another group of sportsmen made contact with the directors of Valenciennes with a view to creating the "Union Sportive Valenciennes-Anzin" (Valenciennes-Anzin Sports Union, known by its French initials USVA) under which name they then participated in the Escaut (département) Département championships. Under the leadership of their president, M. Lélithouard, USVA attained professional status in 1933.

Timeline

- 1913: Foundation of Valenciennes Football Club (FCV).
- 1916: Valenciennes is renamed Union Sportive Valenciennes-Anzin (USVA), and retains this name until 1996.
- 1933: Creation of a professional section.
- 1993: Valenciennes and Olympique de Marseille are involved in a match fixing scandal. Marseille chairman Bernard Tapie is believed to have bribed Valenciennes players to ensure a Marseille win so that Valenciennes could have more time to prepare for the UEFA Champions League 1992-93 final. Both clubs suffer a forced relegation as a result of this incident.
- 1994: Valenciennes relegated to Championnat National.
- 1996: End of the professional section.
- 1996: Valenciennes is renamed as "Valenciennes Football Club" .
- 2005: Professional section refounded .
- 2005: Valenciennes promoted to Ligue 2
- 2006: Valenciennes promoted to Ligue 1

As of July 14, 2009

Great players of the past

For a complete list of Valenciennes FC players, see :Category:Valenciennes FC players

International success of its players

- Jorge Burruchaga, World Cup 1986 with Argentina
- Didier Six, last Valenciennes team member to date to play for France.
- David Regis, having acquired (by marriage) American citizenship, participated in the `1998 World Cup representing the USA.
- Thomas Dossevi, from Togo, played for Togo in the 2006 World Cup.

Managerial history

1953-1966
- G Robert 1966-1970
- Louis Provelli 1970
- Robert Domergue 1970-1972
- Jean-Pierre Destrumelle 1972-1979
- Erwin Wilczek 1979-1982
- Léon Desmenez 1983-1986
1986-1987
- Victor Zvunka 1987-1988
- Georges Peyroche 1988-1991
- Francis Smerecki 1991-1992
- Boro Primorac 1992-1993
- Bruno Metsu 1993-1994
- Robert Dewilder 1994-1996
- Ludovic Batelli 1996-2000
- Didier Ollé-Nicole 2000-2003
- Daniel Leclercq 2003-2005
- Antoine Kombouaré 2005-2009
- Philippe Montanier 2009-
1955, CS Sedan Ardennes)
- Home office: 43 bis Avenue de Reims, 59300 Valenciennes
- In the Video Game FIFA 06, Valenciennes are 1 of 2 one-star rated teams in the game.

AJ Auxerre, Bordeaux, Caen, FC Nantes, FC Sochaux, Grenoble, Le Havre, Le Mans, Lille OSC, Lorient, Lyon, Marseille, Monaco, Nancy, Nice, Paris Saint-Germain, Rennes, Saint-Etienne, Toulouse FC, Valenciennes