| The Coupe Charles Simon | |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Country | France |
| Teams | 7,422[1] |
| Defending champions | Lille |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Lyon |
| Runners-up | Quevilly |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Top goal scorer(s) | Lisandro Lopez (7 goals) |
The2011–12Coupe de France was the 95th season ofFrance's most prestigious cup competition. The competition was organized by theFrench Football Federation (FFF) and open to all clubs inFrench football, including clubs from theoverseas departments and territories (Guadeloupe,French Guiana,Martinique,Mayotte,New Caledonia,French Polynesia, andRéunion). The final was contested on 28 April 2012 at theStade de France.[2] The defending champions wereLille, who defeatedParis Saint-Germain 1–0 inthe final of the2010–11 season. The winner of the competition qualified for thegroup stage of the2012–13 UEFA Europa League.[3]
On 28 April 2012,first division clubLyon defeated semi-professionalthird-tierQuevilly 1–0 in the2012 Coupe de France Final courtesy of a first half goal fromLisandro López to win its fifth Coupe de France title. The title is the club's first domestically since winning the same competition in2008. The runners-up, Quevilly, alongside fellow National clubGazélec Ajaccio, were awarded thePetit Poucet Plaque, an award given to the best performing non-professional club in the Coupe de France.
On 17 June 2011, the FFF announced the calendar for the 95th Coupe de France season.[2][4]
| Round | First match date | Fixtures | Clubs | New entries this round | Prize money | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Round | 13 August 2011[5] | 3,016 | 7,429 → 4,413 | 6,032 | ||
| Second Round | 27 August 2011 | 2,097 | 4,413 → 2,316 | 1,178 | ||
| Third Round | 17 September 2011 | 1,097 | 2,316 → 1,219 | 97 | Clubs participating inCFA 2 gain entry. | |
| Fourth Round | 1 October 2011 | 576 | 1,219 → 643 | 55 | Clubs participating inCFA gain entry. | |
| Fifth Round | 15 October 2011 | 298 | 643 → 345 | 20 | Clubs participating inNational gain entry. | |
| Sixth Round | 29 October 2011 | 149 | 345 → 196 | none | €1,500 | |
| Seventh Round | 19 November 2011 | 88 | 196 → 108 | 20 | €6,000 | Clubs participating inLigue 2 gain entry. |
| Eighth Round | 10 December 2011 | 44 | 108 → 64 | none | €35,000 | |
| Round of 64 | 7 January 2012 | 32 | 64 → 32 | 20 | €40,000 | Clubs participating inLigue 1 gain entry. |
| Round of 32 | 21 January 2012 | 16 | 32 → 16 | none | €60,000 | |
| Round of 16 | 7 February 2012 | 8 | 16 → 8 | none | €130,000 | |
| Quarter-finals | 20 March 2012 | 4 | 8 → 4 | none | €280,000 | |
| Semi-finals | 10 April 2012 | 2 | 4 → 2 | none | €560,000 | |
| Final | 28 April 2012 | 1 | 2 → 1 | none | €700,000 | Coupe de France Final at theStade de France. |
In February 2011, it was reported by the French media that theFrench Football Federation had scheduled the 2011–12 edition of theCoupe de France final to be played on 5 May 2012. The date is significant because it would mark the 20th anniversary of theFuriani disaster, which occurred when a tribune at the Stade Armand Cesari inFuriani collapse during a Coupe de France semi-final match betweenSC Bastia andMarseille. The tragedy resulted in the death of 18 individuals and injuries to over 2,000.[6] The resulting outcry and criticism of the decision to schedule the final on that date led to the Federation issuing a statement declaring that the official calendar for the competition had not been released, so the reports were only rumors.[7] On 31 March 2011, the schedule was released and the date for the final was set for 28 April 2012.[8]
In the 2010–11 Coupe de France, a seventh round match between Tourcoing and Viry-Châtillon was abandoned after 30 minutes following an altercation between two opposing players, which resulted in a brawl breaking out and dozens of spectators invading the field of play. The brawl led to a player losing consciousness and anassistant referee suffering a back injury after being hit with debris.[9] The incident required police and firefighter intervention and, despite handing out fourred cards as a result of the altercation, the referee called the match off after repeated failed attempts to restore calm.[10] On 3 December 2010, the French Football Federation ruled that, due to the incidents that occurred in the match, both clubs would be disbarred from this year's competition, effective immediately. Both clubs will also be ineligible to appear in the 2011–12 competition, as well.[11]
All of the teams that enter the competition, but are not members ofLigue 1 orLigue 2, have to compete in the regional qualifying rounds. The regional qualifying rounds determine the number of regional clubs that will earn spots in the 7th round and normally lasts six rounds.
The draw for the seventh round of the Coupe de France was held on 3 November 2011 at the headquarters of the Comité National Olympique et Sportif Français (CNOSF), the national sporting committee of France, and was conducted by formerFrench internationalsGrégory Coupet,Willy Sagnol,Olivier Dacourt, andXavier Gravelaine as well as currentFrench women's internationalÉlise Bussaglia. The overseas regional draw was held the previous day on 2 November at the headquarters of the French Football Federation.[12] The matches were played on 18–20 November.
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The draw for the eighth round of the Coupe de France was held on 23 November 2011 at the headquarters of the French Football Federation (FFF), and was conducted by formerFrench internationalsLuis Fernández andLaurent Robert. The round featured the 88 winners of the seventh round.[13] The matches was played through 9–12 December.
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The draw for the Round of 64 of the Coupe de France was held on 12 December 2011 at the headquarters ofCrédit Agricole, a main sponsor of the competition, inAmiens. The round featured the 44 winners of the eighth round, as well as the 20 clubs who play inLigue 1.[14] The matches was played through 6–9 January 2012.
Following the announcement of the draw, several amateur clubs who were hosting high-profile matches against Ligue 1 clubs announced that they would be re-locating their matches to more suitable venues. After initially scheduling its match againstMontpellier to be played at theStade Louis Dugauguez inSedan, on 15 December,Prix-lès-Mézières confirmed that the two clubs had agreed to play the match at the Stade du Petit-Bois in nearbyCharleville-Mézières.[15] On the same day, it was announced that theRed Star Saint-Ouen–Marseille match would be played at theStade de France, while theSaint-Colomban Locminé–Paris Saint-Germain match would be played atStade du Moustoir inLorient.[16] In the former match, the country's national stadium was reconfigured to accommodate 45,000 individuals.[17]
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The draw for the Round of 32 of the Coupe de France was held on 8 January 2012 at the headquarters ofEurosport. The round featured the 32 winners of the Round of 64. The draw was conducted by currentFrench women's internationalGaëtane Thiney and formertennis playerAmélie Mauresmo.[18] The matches were played through 21–23 January 2012.
Similar to the previous round, following the draw, several amateur clubs announced that they would be hosting their matches at larger venues. On 11 January, Vendée Luçon officials announced that the club's match againstLyon would be contested at theStade de la Beaujoire in nearbyNantes.[19] Hours later, it was confirmed that the match betweenSablé-sur-Sarthe and Paris Saint-Germain would be played at theMMArena inLe Mans.[20]
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The draw for the Round of 16 of the Coupe de France was held on 22 January 2012 at the headquarters of Eurosport. The round featured the 16 winners of the Round of 32. The draw was conducted by currentFrench internationalHatem Ben Arfa and formerFrench rugby union international playerXavier Garbajosa.[21] The matches will be played through 7–8 February 2012.
On 6 February, the French Football Federation announced that three matches would be rescheduled due to inclement weather.[22] The Dijon–Paris Saint-Germain and Bourg-Péronnas–Marseille match was rescheduled for 15 February, while the Quevilly–Orléans will be played on 21 February.[23]
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The draw for the quarter-finals of the Coupe de France was held on 19 February 2012 during a television broadcast ofStade 2. The draw was conducted byFrench rugby union international playerJulien Malzieu.[24][25] The matches were contested on 20–21 March 2012.
| 20 March 2012 | Quevilly (3) | 3–2 (a.e.t.) | Marseille (1) | Caen |
| 20:30 | Valero 6'Ayina 111',118' | Report | Rémy 85',113' | Stadium:Stade Michel d'Ornano Attendance: 21,015 Referee:Jean-Charles Cailleux (Picardy) |
| 21 March 2012 | Gazélec Ajaccio (3) | 1–0 | Montpellier (1) | Ajaccio |
| 17:00 | Bocognano 75' | Report | Stadium:Stade François Coty Referee:Antony Gautier (Nord-Pas-de-Calais) |
| 21 March 2012 | Valenciennes (1) | 1–3 | Rennes (1) | Valenciennes |
| 19:15 | Samassa 32' | Report | Pitroipa 12' Boye 54'Hadji 87' | Stadium:Stade du Hainaut Attendance: 14,731 Referee:Laurent Duhamel (Normandie) |
| 21 March 2012 | Paris Saint-Germain (1) | 1–3 | Lyon (1) | Paris |
| 20:50 | Nenê 19' (pen.) | Report | Källström 25' López 39'Gomis 90+2' (pen.) | Stadium:Parc des Princes Referee:Clément Turpin (Bourgogne) |
The draw for the semi-finals of the Coupe de France was held on 21 March 2012. The draw was conducted byfigure skaterPhilippe Candeloro.[26] The matches were contested on 10–11 April 2012.
| 10 April 2012 | Gazélec Ajaccio (3) | 0–4 | Lyon (1) | Ajaccio |
| 20:45 | Report | Lacazette 59' López 73'Grenier 80'Gomis 90' | Stadium:Stade François Coty Referee:Saïd Ennjimi (Centre-Ouest) |
| 11 April 2012 | Quevilly (3) | 2–1 | Rennes (1) | Caen |
| 20:55 | Herouat 62' Laup 90+3' | Report | Féret 8' | Stadium:Stade Michel d'Ornano Referee:Tony Chapron (Lower Normandy) |
For the fourth consecutive season in France,France Télévisions were the free to air broadcasters whileEurosport were the subscription broadcasters.
These matches were broadcast live on French television:
| Round | France Télévisions | Eurosport |
|---|---|---|
| Seventh Round | ||
| Eighth Round | ||
| Round of 64 | ||
| Round of 32 | ||
| Round of 16 | ||
| Quarter-finals | ||
| Semi-finals | ||
| Final | ||
