 | ||||
| Full name | Cercle sportif Fola Esch | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 1906; 119 years ago (1906) | |||
| Ground | Stade Émile Mayrisch | |||
| Capacity | 1,632 | |||
| President | Emil Adrovic[1] | |||
| Manager | Pascal Welter | |||
| League | Luxembourg Division of Honour | |||
| 2024–25 | 15th of 16 (relegated) | |||
| Website | www | |||
Sporting Circle Fola Esch (French:Cercle sportif Fola Esch), usually abbreviated toFola Esch or simplyFola, is a professionalfootball club based inEsch-sur-Alzette, in south-westernLuxembourg. They play their home games atStade Émile Mayrisch, in the south of the city, which they share with their sisterathletics clubCA Fola Esch.
Founded in 1906 by the English language teacher Jean Roeder, Fola was the first football club in Luxembourg. During its heyday, it was the best club in the country, winning fourNational Division championships and twoLuxembourg Cups between 1918 and 1924. Fola won another championship in 1930 and theLuxembourg Cup in 1955, but had since this time lost its place in Luxembourg's top flight.
Fola stubbornly rejected a merger with its larger neighbours,Jeunesse Esch, during the wave of consolidation in the 1990s.[2] In 2004–05, Fola were relegated to the third tier of Luxembourgish football, but were promoted the following season. In 2006–07 they finished third, qualifying for a promotion play-off, which they lost toVictoria Rosport. In August 2007, Fola pulled off a transfer coup by signing formerMorocco midfielderMustapha Hadji.
In 2008, the club managed to secure second place in the championship, granting them promotion to theFortis League (National Division, the top league in the country, renamed BGL League in March 2009 due to the2008 financial crisis).[3]
In May 2013, CS Fola Esch won the championship in theBGL Ligue with a historic 5–1 win against their rivals,Jeunesse Esch in the 25th match of the season. The club had a gap of 83 years since their last championship.Stefano Bensi scored 20 goals during this season.
Fola participated in the second qualifying round of theChampions League 2013–14, but lost toDinamo Zagreb 0–5 in the first leg (at home) and 0–1 in the second leg (away). In 2015, Fola won the championship again, after finishing second in 2014. In 2016 they again finished second with an equal number of points with the champions, F91 Dudelange.
In 2016 CS Fola Esch, celebrated their 110th birthday, and also became a member of the exclusiveClub of Pioneers, as the oldest football club of Luxembourg.
| Rank | Country | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 317 |  | FK Mladost Podgorica | 3.550 |
| 318 |  | NK Široki Brijeg | 3.550 |
| 319 |  | FC Irtysh Pavlodar | 3.550 |
| 320 |  | CS Fola Esch | 3.475 |
| 321 | | FC Differdange 03 | 3.475 |
| 322 |  | PFC Slavia Sofia | 3.425 |
| Competition | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UEFA Champions League | 7 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 19 |
| UEFA Europa League | 19 | 3 | 5 | 11 | 17 | 34 |
| UEFA Cup Winners' Cup | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 11 |
| UEFA Europa Conference League | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 11 |
| Total | 35 | 7 | 7 | 21 | 30 | 75 |
| Season | Competition | Round | Club | Home | Away | Aggregate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973–74 | UEFA Cup Winners' Cup | 1R | Beroe Stara Zagora | 0–7 | 1–4 | 1–11 |
| 2011–12 | UEFA Europa League | 1Q |  Elfsborg | 1–1 | 0–4 | 1–5 |
| 2013–14 | UEFA Champions League | 2Q |  Dinamo Zagreb | 0–5 | 0–1 | 0–6 |
| 2014–15 | UEFA Europa League | 1Q | Göteborg | 0–2 | 0–0 | 0–2 |
| 2015–16 | UEFA Champions League | 2Q | Dinamo Zagreb | 0–3 | 1–1 | 1–4 |
| 2016–17 | UEFA Europa League | 1Q |  Aberdeen | 1–0 | 1–3 | 2–3 |
| 2017–18 | UEFA Europa League | 1Q |  Milsami Orhei | 2–1 | 1–1 | 3–2 |
| 2Q |  Inter Baku | 4–1 | 0–1 | 4–2 | ||
| 3Q | Östersund | 1–2 | 0–1 | 1–3 | ||
| 2018–19 | UEFA Europa League | 1Q |  Prishtina | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 (5–4p) |
| 2Q |  Genk | 1–4 | 0–5 | 1–9 | ||
| 2019–20 | UEFA Europa League | 1Q |  Chikhura Sachkhere | 1–2 | 1–2 | 2–4 |
| 2020–21 | UEFA Champions League | 1Q | Sheriff Tiraspol | — | 0–2 | — |
| UEFA Europa League | 2Q |  Ararat-Armenia | — | 3–4 (aet) | — | |
| 2021–22 | UEFA Champions League | 1Q |  Lincoln Red Imps | 2–2 | 0–5 | 2–7 |
| UEFA Europa Conference League | 2Q |  Shahktyor Soligorsk | 1–0 | 2–1 | 3–1 | |
| 3Q |  Linfield | 2–1 | 2–1 | 4–2 | ||
| PO | Kairat | 1–4 | 1–3 | 2–7 | ||
| 2022–23 | UEFA Europa Conference League | 1Q |  Tre Fiori | 0–1 | 1–3 | 1–4 |
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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|
| Manager | Appointed | Dismissed |
|---|---|---|
| Henri Bossi | 1 July 1988 | 30 June 1989 |
| Henri Bossi | 23 September 1993 | 30 June 1994 |
| Pascal Welter | 19 February 2000 | 5 November 2002 |
| Philippe Guérard | 10 November 2005 | 25 March 2006 |
 Michael Lofy | 1 July 2008 | 23 March 2009 |
| Pascal Welter | 13 April 2009 | 16 October 2009 |
| Philippe Guérard | 26 October 2009 | 31 October 2010 |
| Jeff Strasser | 2 November 2010 | 22 December 2010 |
 Cyril Serredszum | 22 December 2010 | 30 January 2012 |
| Jeff Strasser | 1 July 2012 | 26 September 2017 |
| Cyril Serredszum | 27 September 2017 | 4 February 2018 |
| Thomas Klasen | 5 February 2018 | 16 August 2018 |
| Jeff Strasser | 16 August 2018[6] | 18 May 2020[7] |
| Sébastien Grandjean | 18 May 2020[8] | present |
Fola have two women's teams as of the 2024–25 season. The main team compete in the Dames Ligue 2,[9] the 2nd tier of women's football in Luxembourg. A reserve women's team competes in the Dames Ligue 3 Series 2,[10] the 3rd tier. As yet, the women's team have not been as successful as their male counterparts, as they have not won any honours.
