 | |||
| Full name | Stade Malherbe Caen | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname | Malherbe[1] | ||
| Short name | SMC | ||
| Founded | 17 November 1913; 112 years ago (17 November 1913) | ||
| Ground | Stade Michel d'Ornano | ||
| Capacity | 20,300 | ||
| Owner(s) | Coalition Capital (80%) PAC-Invest (20%) | ||
| President | Ziad Hammoud[2] | ||
| Manager | Maxime d'Ornano[3] | ||
| League | Championnat National | ||
| 2024–25 | Ligue 2, 18th of 18 (relegated) | ||
| Website | www | ||
 Current season | |||
Stade Malherbe Caen (French pronunciation:[stadmalɛʁbkɑ̃]; commonly known asSM Caen,Malherbe, or simplyCaen) is aFrench professional football team, based in the city ofCaen inNormandy, that competes in theChampionnat National from 2025–26 after relegation fromLigue 2 in 2024–25. The club was founded on 17 November 1913 by the merger ofClub Malherbe Caennais andClub Sportif Caennais.
For most of its history, SM Caen has been one of the main amateur clubs in France. The late 1980s and early 1990s saw the rise of Stade Malherbe in the French football hierarchy. In 1985, Stade Malherbe adopted professional status. Three seasons later, it was promoted for the first time to first division. In 1992, a few months after being narrowly saved from bankruptcy, the club finished fifth in Division 1 and qualified forUEFA Cup. However, it was relegated three years later. Despite a second division title won in 1996, SM Caen fell back into anonymity in the second division.
Under the chairmanship ofJean-François Fortin, from 2002, and under the sporting direction ofPatrick Rémy,Franck Dumas, and thenPatrice Garande, the Stade Malherbe has regained sporting success. The club was promoted intoLigue 1 several times, reached theCoupe de la Ligue final in 2005 and finished 7th in Ligue 1 in 2016. In 2018, during the club's fifth consecutive season in Ligue 1, a conflict erupted within the management team, causing the departure of chairman Jean-François Fortin and coach Patrice Garande. Caen was relegated toLigue 2 in 2019. Facing financial troubles, it was bought by the American fundOaktree Capital Management in 2020, which appointedOlivier Pickeu as the new president. In 2024, Oaktree's 80% stake was acquired by investment firm Coalition Capital, a subsidiary ofKylian Mbappé's company Interconnected Ventures.[4]
SM Caen has been playing since 1993 at theStade Michel d'Ornano. Before and since its foundation, the club played atStade de Venoix, which is now used by the reserve team. It has geographical rivalries withLe Havre AC (sometimes called "Le derby normand") andStade Rennais, its closest neighbour when the club was in Ligue 1.
Many football clubs were constituted inCaen at the end of the 19th century : theUnion sportive des étudiants de Caen, founded in 1892, theUnion Athlétique duLycée Malherbe (UALM), founded in 1892[5] or 1895 and theClub Sportif Caennais, founded in November 1899. These clubs participated in the early editions of the football championship organised by theUnion des Sociétés Françaises de Sports Athlétiques.
In 1907, former members of UALM created theClub Malherbe Caennais, soon the best club inLower Normandy.[6] In 1909 and 1911, several friendlies matches were organised between a selection of players from Caen and the English club ofSt Albans City F.C.
TheStade Malherbe Caennais was officially founded on 17 November 1913 from the merger ofClub Sportif Caennais andClub Malherbe Caennais. It was a multi-sport athletic club, which adopted the "Malherbe" and the striped jersey of the CMC, and the red and blue colours of CSC.[7] The club had its own facilities – theStade de Venoix – inherited from the CMC.
The football team of CMC, engaged in the league in Lower Normandy, changed its name just after the start of the season. By winning this competition, Stade Malherbe recorded their first title in its first year of existence. Having qualified for the finals of the1914 USFSA Football Championship, Caen was eliminated in the 1/8 final by the Union sportive Servannaise : after a draw in the first game (3–3) it had to forfeit the second.World War I stopped the competitions. Thirty-nine members of the club were killed in the fighting, including former captain Eugène Lesomptier.
In 1919, the USFSA championship was replaced by regional championships organised by theFrench Football Federation, calledDivision d'Honneur. Stade Malherbe, reinforced by the move to Caen of the former French internationalEugène Maës, won six times the championship of Lower Normandy between 1920 and 1928,[8] but were unable to compete with the majorUpper Normandy clubs,Le Havre AC andFC Rouen. Since 1919–20, Caen also participated in theCoupe de France but fell in round of 32 in 1921 and 1922. In 1929, the twoDivision d'Honneur leagues of Normandy were merged and Stade Malherbe was promoted the year after. Its best final standing was 5th in 1933.
In 1934, one year after FC Rouen and Le Havre AC, Stade Malherbe acquired professional status and reached theFrench Division 2. The club finished 11th out of 16 for thefirst season, then 6thin 1936 and 8thin 1937. But its financial situation deteriorated and Stade Malherbe left D2 in 1938, after four professional seasons.
The club then returned toDivision d'Honneur ofNormandy. It won the last edition beforeWorld War II in 1938–39, and the first two after WW2 in 1946 and 1947.
In 1948, Stade Malherbe joined the newly foundedChampionnat de France amateur [fr], the third level of French football. Soon considered as a "lord" in CFA, Caen was unable to win the championship, unlike their regional rivalUS Quevilly, despite successive calls to former French international players as coaches:Jules Vandooren,Jean Prouff,Andre Grillon,Jean Vincent andOliver Celestin.
Stade Malherbe made itself known essentially by repeated feats inCoupe de France in the 1950s : French championStade de Reims (2–1) and top teamsRacing Club de France (3–2) andRC Lens were defeated in January 1953,1956, and1961. In1958, Caen pushedFC Nantes to play five games to decide: the first three games resulting in 0–0 draws, the fourth was stopped, the fifth saw Nantes win 1–0. Through its success Caen won the "Challenge France-Football" rewarding the best amateur team in Coupe de France in 1956 and 1961. Undermined by the instability of its coaches and presidents and a precarious financial health, Stade Malherbe weakened gradually and was relegated twice (in 1962 and 1965) into Division d'Honneur, but regained its place in CFA.
In 1970, the CFA was removed and the Division 2 was enlarged to 48 teams. During the 1970s, Caen evolved between D3 and D2, where it failed to stabilise.Jacques Mouilleron became coach in 1973. In 1975, the club won its first national title: the West group of Division 3. Stade Malherbe was named best amateur club byFrance-Football and Jean-Paul Bouffandeau and Jean-Paul Pottier were named French amateur players of the year in 1975 and 1976. 3 years later, Caen fell back to D3.
Pierre Mankowski was hired as player-coach in 1983. He led Stade Malherbe from D3 to the top of D2 in a few seasons, and pushed it to adoptprofessional status in 1985.
SM Caen has been a professional football club since 1985. The stated objective of Mankowski was to bring Caen into the first division. He helped the team improve, first in defence then in attack. Caen finished sixth in D2 in1986 and second in1987, with notable scorersPhilippe Prieur andÉric Pécout. Caen made thestade de Venoix an unbeatable place but bowed out in front ofAS Cannes in theplayoffs. Caen succeeded in the playoffs following season, defeatingOlympique Lyonnais andChamois Niortais F.C., relegated from D1.
In 1988 Stade Malherbe madeDivision 1. Despite many departures, including coach Mankowski (replaced byRobert Nouzaret) and six first losses, Caen stayed up, one point ahead ofRC Strasbourg, with the advent of a promising strikerFabrice Divert. Stade Malherbe confirmed, not without difficulties, its performance the following season.
With a new coach,Daniel Jeandupeux, the team was largely restructured. In 1990–91, Caen took its place in the first half of Division 1, thanks to the excellent results obtained in Venoix. However, the press revealed in late 1991 that the club was close to bankruptcy. Regional businesses and local government bailed out the club, which led to a brilliant 1991–92 season. Stade Malherbe finished fifth and qualified for the first (and so far only) time for theUEFA Cup.Stéphane Paille scored 15 goals during the season. For the first round of the1992–93 UEFA Cup, Caen had to face up toReal Zaragoza. Caen won 3–2 in the 1st leg but lost 2–0 in Spain. Despite the goals ofXavier Gravelaine, SM Caen finished the season in a relatively disappointing eleventh rank.
In the 2003–04 season, Caen finished 2nd inLigue 2, gaining promotion toLigue 1. They were relegated on the last day of the 2004–05 Ligue 1 season, finishing in 18th place despite some positive results, including a surprise 3–2 away win atMarseille. But the main highlight of their season was making it into the final of theCoupe de la Ligue for the first time in their history. Their chance at a major trophy eluded them however, as they lost 2–1 toStrasbourg in thefinal.
On 25 May 2007, SM Caen obtained promotion toLigue 1 after a victory in last game atLibourne (1–2). In the 2008–09 season, the team was once again relegated toLigue 2 after losing 1–0 at home toBordeaux, but won championship next season and thus came back to Ligue 1.
In the 2010–11 season, Caen got off to a highly impressive start by defeating defending championsMarseille 2–1 away on the first day of the season, then following it up with a 3–2 home win over the previous season'sChampions League semi-finalistsLyon.
In the 2013–14 season, Caen were in Ligue 2, but won promotion to Ligue 1 for the 2014–15 season. As part of their promotion battle, they drew a crucial match withNîmes in May 2014. This 1–1 result was also very favourable to Nîmes who were battling to avoid relegation. This result raised suspicions, and in November 2014, Caen chairman Fortin was arrested, amongst several others, on suspicion of match fixing.[9][10] Finally, he was cleared in March 2015.[11] For the 2016–17 and 2017–18 seasons, Caen avoided relegation to Ligue 2 on both occasions by securing a draw on the final day of the season against Paris Saint-Germain.[12][13]
In the 2018–19 season, Caen were relegated on the final day of the campaign after losing to Bordeaux 1–0. Caen needed to win the match and hope that results elsewhere would go in their favour. The relegation ended Caen's five-year stay in the top division.[14]
In September 2024, French starKylian Mbappé became the majority owner of the club.[15]
In December 2024, Josselin Flamand is appointed as a new Managing Director.[16]
On 19 April 2025, Caen suffered relegation toChampionnat National for the next season after defeat toFC Martigues 0-3 at home, and ended 41 consecutive years in the top 2 divisions.
| National | Regional, youth, and international |
|---|---|
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* denotes promotion without winning the championship.
| Year | Division | Place | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | G.F. | G.A. | G.D. | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1934–35 | Second League | 11th | 26 | 9 | 3 | 14 | 61 | 57 | +4 | 21 |
| 1935–36 | Second League | 6th | 34 | 17 | 5 | 12 | 68 | 57 | +11 | 39 |
| 1936–37 | Second League | 8th | 32 | 12 | 7 | 13 | 44 | 53 | −9 | 31 |
| 1937–38 | Second League | 14th | 30 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 23 |
| 1970–71 | Division 2 – B | 15th | 30 | 8 | 6 | 16 | 29 | 46 | −17 | 22 |
| 1971–72 | Division 2 – A | 6th | 30 | 12 | 9 | 9 | 32 | 36 | −4 | 33 |
| 1972–73 | Division 2 – A | 17th | 34 | 8 | 7 | 19 | 37 | 65 | −28 | 23 |
| 1975–76 | Division 2 – A | 6th | 34 | 16 | 8 | 10 | 54 | 48 | +6 | 43 |
| 1976–77 | Division 2 – B | 15th | 34 | 11 | 8 | 15 | 43 | 51 | −8 | 30 |
| 1977–78 | Division 2 – B | 18th | 34 | 6 | 8 | 20 | 29 | 66 | −37 | 20 |
| 1980–81 | Division 2 – B | 18th | 34 | 6 | 10 | 18 | 25 | 58 | −33 | 22 |
| 1984–85 | Division 2 – A | 11th | 34 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 33 | 40 | −7 | 33 |
| 1985–86 | Division 2 – B | 6th | 34 | 14 | 9 | 11 | 33 | 31 | +2 | 37 |
| 1986–87 | Division 2 – A | 2nd | 34 | 21 | 6 | 7 | 62 | 30 | +32 | 48 |
| 1987–88 | Division 2 – B | 2nd | 34 | 20 | 9 | 5 | 54 | 22 | +32 | 49 |
| 1988–89 | First League | 16th | 38 | 10 | 10 | 18 | 39 | 60 | −21 | 40 |
| 1989–90 | First League | 16th | 38 | 12 | 10 | 16 | 34 | 48 | −14 | 34 |
| 1990–91 | First League | 8th | 38 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 38 | 36 | +2 | 38 |
| 1991–92 | First League | 5th | 38 | 17 | 10 | 11 | 46 | 45 | +1 | 44 |
| 1992–93 | First League | 11th | 38 | 13 | 9 | 16 | 55 | 54 | +1 | 35 |
| 1993–94 | First League | 16th | 38 | 12 | 7 | 19 | 29 | 54 | −25 | 31 |
| 1994–95 | First League | 19th | 38 | 10 | 6 | 22 | 38 | 58 | −20 | 36 |
| 1995–96 | Second League | 1st | 42 | 24 | 9 | 9 | 59 | 34 | +25 | 81 |
| 1996–97 | First League | 17th | 38 | 7 | 16 | 15 | 35 | 46 | −11 | 37 |
| 1997–98 | Second League | 9th | 42 | 15 | 11 | 16 | 61 | 55 | +6 | 56 |
| 1998–99 | Second League | 5th | 38 | 16 | 11 | 11 | 47 | 39 | +8 | 59 |
| 1999–00 | Second League | 6th | 38 | 12 | 17 | 9 | 50 | 37 | +13 | 53 |
| 2000–01 | Second League | 17th | 38 | 11 | 10 | 17 | 38 | 53 | −15 | 43 |
| 2001–02 | Second League | 6th | 38 | 16 | 10 | 12 | 59 | 55 | +4 | 58 |
| 2002–03 | Second League | 7th | 38 | 12 | 16 | 10 | 45 | 40 | +5 | 52 |
| 2003–04 | Second League | 2nd | 38 | 20 | 11 | 7 | 56 | 31 | +25 | 71 |
| 2004–05 | First League | 18th | 38 | 10 | 12 | 16 | 36 | 60 | −24 | 42 |
| 2005–06 | Second League | 4th | 38 | 18 | 12 | 8 | 56 | 35 | +21 | 66 |
| 2006–07 | Second League | 2nd | 38 | 19 | 14 | 5 | 65 | 40 | +25 | 71 |
| 2007–08 | First League | 11th | 38 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 48 | 53 | −5 | 51 |
| 2008–09 | First League | 18th | 38 | 8 | 13 | 17 | 42 | 49 | −7 | 37 |
| 2009–10 | Second League | 1st | 38 | 18 | 15 | 5 | 52 | 30 | +22 | 69 |
| 2010–11 | First League | 15th | 38 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 46 | 51 | −5 | 46 |
| 2011–12 | First League | 18th | 38 | 9 | 11 | 18 | 39 | 59 | −20 | 38 |
| 2012–13 | Second League | 4th | 38 | 17 | 12 | 9 | 48 | 28 | +20 | 63 |
| 2013–14 | Second League | 3rd | 38 | 18 | 10 | 10 | 65 | 44 | +21 | 64 |
| 2014–15 | First League | 13th | 38 | 12 | 10 | 16 | 54 | 55 | −1 | 46 |
| 2015–16 | First League | 7th | 38 | 16 | 6 | 16 | 39 | 52 | −13 | 54 |
| 2016–17 | First League | 17th | 38 | 10 | 7 | 21 | 36 | 65 | −29 | 37 |
| 2017–18 | First League | 16th | 38 | 10 | 8 | 20 | 27 | 52 | −25 | 38 |
Club Malherbe Caennais wore a black and white vertical stripes jersey, while Club Sportif Caennais used blue and red horizontal stripes. Following the merger of two clubs in 1913, the officials decided to mix colours and symbols by adopting the CMC vertical stripes and CSC colours.
Stade Malherbe used the same diamond shaped logo for almost fifty years, designed for its first professional period in 1934.
In 1989, a new logo was designed, with alongship floating on the waves, a nod to theViking origin ofNormandy, and three arrows of the city ofCaen. It was used in various versions for eighteen seasons, including within a shield in the 2006–07 season. In 2007, officials presented a new logo.The new logo reflects the identity of the club, closely linked to the Norman period ofWilliam the Conqueror: the flag of Normandy, which is actually the historical Norman flag of the Two Lions, can be often seen in the Kop Normandy.In 2013, the official anthem of SM Caen "Normands, fiers et conquérants!" was made with a marked reference to the Norman identity:
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Stade de Venoix was the club's home from 1913, although the first stand was built only in 1925, until 1993. Venoix could hold over 15,000 spectators at its peak, and now has a capacity of 5,000.
In 1993 a new 21,500-capacity stadium was built, namedStade Michel d'Ornano. The new stadium is around 500 meters away from the Stade de Venoix.
As of 7 September 2025.[17]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
|
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
| Most capped players | ||
|---|---|---|
| Name | Matches | (D1/L1) |
| Nicolas Seube | 477 | 232 |
| Anthony Deroin | 395 | 93 |
| Yvan Lebourgeois | 391 | 200 |
| Jimmy Hebert | 321 | 38 |
| Christophe Point | 301 | 172 |
| Top scorers | ||
|---|---|---|
| Name | Goals | (D1/L1) |
| Cyrille Watier | 69 | 9 |
| Xavier Gravelaine | 45 | 26 |
| Fabrice Divert | 44 | 40 |
| Sébastien Mazure | 43 | 13 |
| Anthony Deroin | 38 | 9 |
| French internationals | |
|---|---|
| Name | Caps |
| Xavier Gravelaine | 3 (1992–93) |
| Fabrice Divert | 1 (1990) |
| Steve Savidan | 1 (2008) |
last update : summer 2010
(only D2, D1 and cups matches)
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Manager |  Michel Der Zakarian |
| Assistant Manager |  David Bechkoura |
| Goalkeeping Coach | Eddy Costil |
| Fitness Coach | Jean-Marc Branger |
| Years | Coach |
|---|---|
| 1934–35 | François Konya |
| 1935–36 | Jean Gast |
| 1936–38 | Maurice Cottenet |
| 1938–44 | Jean Gast |
| 1944–46 | Karoly Mayer |
| 1946–47 | Armand Deruaz |
| 1947–49 | Charles Carville |
| 1949–52 | Jules Vandooren |
| 1952–53 | Jean Prouff |
| 1953–55 | Eugène Proust |
| 1955–58 | André Grillon |
| 1958–59 | Marcel Leperlier |
| 1959–61 | Louis Require |
| 1961–62 | Albert Eloy |
| 1962–64 | Marcel Mouchel |
| 1964–67 | Jean Vincent |
| Years | Coach |
|---|---|
| 1967–72 | Célestin Oliver |
| 1972–72 | Bernard Lelong |
| 1972 | Guy Lunel(interim) |
| 1972–73 | Émile Rummelhardt |
| 1973–79 | Jacques Mouilleron |
| 1979–83 | Alain Laurier |
| 1983–88 | Pierre Mankowski |
| 1988–89 | Robert Nouzaret |
| 1989–94 | Daniel Jeandupeux |
| 1994–96 | Pierre Mankowski |
| 1996–97 | Guy David |
| 1997 | Gabriel Calderon |
| 1997 | Daniel Jeandupeux(interim) |
| 1997–2000 | Pascal Théault |
| 2000 | Christophe Desbouillons(interim) |
| 2000–01 | Jean-Louis Gasset |
| Years | Coach |
|---|---|
| 2001–02 | Hervé Gauthier |
| 2002–05 | Patrick Remy |
| 2005 | Franck Dumas(interim) |
| 2005–09 | Franck Dumas &Patrick Parizon |
| 2009–12 | Franck Dumas &Patrice Garande |
| 2012–18 | Patrice Garande |
| 2018–19 | Fabien Mercadal |
| 2019 | Rui Almeida[18][19] |
| 2019–21 | Pascal Dupraz[20] |
| 2021 | Fabrice Vandeputte[21] |
| 2021–23 | Stéphane Moulin[22] |
| 2023 | Jean-Marc Furlan[23] |
| 2023–24 | Nicolas Seube |
| 2024–25 | Bruno Baltazar |
| 2025–present | Michel Der Zakarian |
| Season | Competition | Round | Club | Home | Away | Aggregate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | UEFA Intertoto Cup | Group stage |  Lyngby BK | 1–0 | 1–2 | 2nd | |
 RKC Waalwijk | 2–0 | 0–1 | |||||
 Schalke 04 | 1–1 | 1–1 | |||||
| 1992–93 | UEFA Cup | First Round |  Real Zaragoza | 3–2 | 0–2 | 3–4 |  |
| Grounds | |
|---|---|
| Rivalries | |
| Matches | |
| Seasons | |
| International | |
|---|---|
| Other | |
