 | |||
| Full name | Association Sportive de Cannes Football | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname | Les Dragons (The Dragons)[1] | ||
| Founded | 4 August 1902; 123 years ago (1902-08-04) | ||
| Ground | Stade Pierre de Coubertin | ||
| Capacity | 9,819 | ||
| President | Ryan Friedkin | ||
| Head coach | TBN | ||
| 2024–25 | National 2 Group A, 2nd of 16 | ||
| Website | http://www.as-cannes.com/ | ||
Association Sportive de Cannes Football (French pronunciation:[asɔsjɑsjɔ̃spɔʁtivdəkan]; commonly referred to asAS Cannes or simplyCannes) is aFrench association football club based inCannes. The club was formed in 1902 as asports club and currently plays in theChampionnat National 2, the fourth tier ofFrench football.[2] Cannes plays its home matches at theStade Pierre de Coubertin, located within the city. The team is managed by Damien Ott.
The club was one of the founding members of thefirst division of French football and finished runners-up in theleague's inaugural season. The club's highest honour to date was winning theCoupe de France in1932. Cannes last played in Ligue 1 in the1997–98 season and are currently serving the longest stint of any club in the National division, having been in the league since the 2001–02 season. The club has most notably served as a springboard for several prominent French football players such asZinedine Zidane,Patrick Vieira,Johan Micoud,Gaël Clichy,Sébastien Frey andJonathan Zebina.
Cannes is known asLes Dragons (The Dragons) and incorporates the nickname into a multitude of club's fixtures, most notably its crest. On 21 May 2010, the club unveiled its new logo to its supporters. The new logo is similar to the club's previous logo, but is more dynamic with the club's city name and foundation being displayed on the badge. The dragon, which is a focal point of the club, is also given a more up-to-date design.[3]
Association Sportive de Cannes was founded on 4 August 1902 by English sportsman Herbert Lowe and a group of friends. Lowe was installed as the club's president. During the infancy of the club, in addition to association football, Cannes also practised the sports ofcompetitive swimming and athletics. The club also wore a black and blue combination kit before switching to its current red and white stripe following the club's merger withClub Sportif de Cannes in 1905. Under the leadership of Louis Grosso, a local furniture dealer, the football section developed its structures. In 1920, Cannes were playing in the Ligue du Sud-Est, a regional league under the watch of theFrench Football Federation (FFF). While playing in the league, Cannes developed rivalries withNice andMarseille. Nice and Cannes contest thederby match that is known as theDerby de la Côte d'Azur. In 1921, the club inaugurated the Stade Municipal de Cannes and celebrated the opening by defeating Spanish clubEspanyol 4–0. During the 1920s, Cannes successfully reached the semi-finals of theCoupe de France on two occasions. Led byFrench internationals such asMaurice Cottenet, Charles Bardot, and Raoul Dutheil, Cannes were regular participants in the latter rounds of the prestigious cup competition. In 1932, the club finallywon the competition after defeatingRC Roubaix 1–0 at theStade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir inColombes, courtesy of a goal from captain Louis Clerc.
In July 1930, the National Council of the FFF voted 128–20 in support of professionalism in French football. Cannes, along with most clubs from the south, were among the first clubs to adopt the new statute and, subsequently, became professional and were founding members of the new league. In theleague's inaugural season, Cannes finished runner-up to championsOlympique Lillois after losing 4–3 in the ultimate match on 14 May 1933. Cannes had originally finished second in its group behindAntibes, but were declared champions of the group after Antibes was disqualified from the league for suspected bribery. Cannes remained in Division 1 for a decade before falling to Division 2 in the1948–49 season after finishing last in the league table.
Cannes returned to the top division for the1965–66 season and spent a forgettable campaign in the league finishing second from bottom, thus returning to Division 2. It took another 20 years before the club returned to the first division for the1987–88 season. During this time, Cannes had a young playmaker by the name ofZinedine Zidane in its ranks. In the club return to the first division, Cannes finished in 11th place. In the ensuing two seasons, Cannes remained mid-table finishing 12th and 11th, respectively. However, in the1990–91 season, the club surprised everyone by finishing in fourth place, which gave the club qualification for theUEFA Cup. Along with Zidane, PSG loanee strikerAmara Simba and the presence of experienced players likeLuis Fernandez, Cannes overclassed many of their higher-rated counterparts. Unfortunately, in the following season, with the departure of Simba and Cannes having to combine its focus on both the league and Europe, the club finished in a disastrous 19th-place position. The club also suffered elimination in Round of 32 in the UEFA Cup. The resulting relegation led to the departure of Zidane and numerous others who were being courted by Division 1 clubs.
Though the departure of Zidane and others did hurt the club, Cannes still had a solid core of players, which included veterans André Amitrano,William Ayache,Franck Durix, andAdick Koot and youngstersJohan Micoud,Patrick Vieira,David Jemmali andLaurent Macquet. The group effectively lived up to club expectations by finishing second in its group in the second division. Due to having more points than the second-place finisher in the other group, Cannes were back in Division 1. In the club's return, Cannes finished in a respectable ninth-place position for the1994–95 season under managerSafet Sušić. The next season didn't start well, with Sušić getting sacked in September 1995. Ultimately, Cannes finished 14th that season. In the off-season heading into the1996–97, Vieira departed the club for Italy, Durix ventured to Japan, and Ayache retired. Cannes struggled to replace the departed players and, subsequently, finished in 15th place for the season. Midway through the campaign, Micoud left the club forBordeaux. After the season, Jammeli followed suit and also joined Bordeaux. The resulting departure of all the club's youth talent ultimately led to its downfall with Cannes finishing dead last in the1997–98 season. Since the club's relegation in 1998, Cannes have yet to return to the first division of French football.
On 1 July 2014, Cannes were officially excluded from professional football in France after a ruling from theDirection Nationale du Contrôle de Gestion relating to the club's financial situation. For the 2015–16 season, the remnants of Cannes played in the Division of Honor, in the Mediterranean Regional League of the French football system.[4]
On June 26, 2023, it was announced that AS Cannes will become part of The Friedkin Group, which also includesAS Roma football club. The Friedkin family will purchase a majority of the club’s shares, and Ryan Friedkin will become the new president of Association Sportive Cannes Football SAS, which will manage the National 2 men’s team. The Sports Association, which is in charge of the women's section and amateurs, will hold 2% ownership and be chaired by Anny Courtade.[5]
On 25 February 2025, Cannes reached the Semi-final of theCoupe de France after defeating Ligue 2 club,EA Guingamp 3-1,[6] but lost[7]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
|
Below are the notable former players who have represented Cannes inleague and international competition since the club's foundation as a football club in 1909. To appear in the section below, a player must have played in at least 80 official matches for the club.
For a complete list of Cannes players, seeCategory:AS Cannes players
William AyacheJean BaezaBernard CasoniSébastien ChabaudGaël ClichyYvon DouisAlbert EmonJulien EscudéLuis FernandezSébastien FreyLaurent MacquetJohan MicoudJean-Luc SassusPatrick VieiraZinedine Zidane
Abdelkader FerhaouiKamel Ghilas
Ibrahim Aoudou
Aljoša AsanovićAlen BokšićArdian Kozniku
Jan Koller
Tonnie Cusell
Adick KootRuud Krol
David Jemmali
Boro PrimoracDušan Savić| Dates[9] | Name |
|---|---|
| 1932–1934 | Billy Aitken |
| 1934–1938 | Stan Hillier |
| 1938–1939 | Maurice Cottenet |
| Cornelli | |
| Francis Roux | |
| 1948 | Elek Schwartz |
| 1948–1949 | Dominique Mori |
| 1949–1952 | Anton Marek |
| 1952–1955 | Lucien Troupel |
| Léon Rossi | |
| 1957–1959 | Paul Baron |
| 1961–1962 | Dante Lerda |
| 1962–1964 | Alberto Muro |
| 1964–1966 | Louis Mus |
| 1966–1968 | Maurice Blondel |
| 1968–1976 | Dante Lerda |
| 1976–1981 | Robert Domergue |
| 1981–1983 | Charly Loubet |
| 1983–1985 | Jean-Marc Guillou |
| 1985–1990 | Jean Fernandez |
| 1990–1992 | Boro Primorac |
| 1992 | Erick Mombaerts |
| 1992–1994 | Luis Fernandez |
| 1994–1995 | Safet Sušić |
| 1995 | William Ayache |
| 1995–1997 | Guy Lacombe |
| 1997–1998 | Adick Koot |
| 1998 | Guy Calleja |
| 1998–2001 | Roland Gransard |
| 2001–2002 | René Marsiglia |
| 2002 | Bernard Casoni |
| 2002 | Christian Lopez |
| 2002–2003 | Robert Buigues |
| 2003 | Nenad Stojkovic |
| 2003–2004 | René Marsiglia |
| 2004–2006 | Gérard Bernardet |
| 2006–2007 | Michel Dussuyer |
| 2007 | Patrice Carteron |
| 2007–2008 | Stéphane Paille |
| 2008–2009 | Patrice Carteron |
| 2009–2011 | Albert Emon |
| 2011 | Victor Zvunka |
| 2011–2012 | David Guion |
| 2012–2014 | Jean-Marc Pilorget |
| 2014 | Jean-Michel Prieur |
| 2014–2015 | Manuel Nogueira |
| 2015–2016 | Mickaël Madar |
| 2016–2017 | Mickaël Marsiglia |
| 2017–2018 | Michel Pavon |
| 2018–2020 | Ludovic Pollet |
| 2020–2024 | Jean-Noël Cabezas[10] |
| International | |
|---|---|
| Other | |
