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| Full name | Étoile Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Star | ||
| Founded | 2010 | ||
| Dissolved | 2012 | ||
| Ground | Queenstown Stadium Queenstown, Singapore | ||
| Capacity | 3,800 | ||
| League | S.League | ||
| 2011 | S.League, 5th of 12 | ||
Étoile Football Club was a professionalfootball club from France based inCommonwealth,Singapore which was formed to play inSingapore'sS.League in 2010. Étoile was the first team of players all born in Europe to play football in Singapore's professional league, and the first in Asia. The club was mostly made up of players of French origin.
Étoile then made history by becoming the first foreign team to win S.league title, sealing the title on a dramatic final day with a 4–2 victory over Albirex Niigata (S). Ètoile have won 1league title, 1Singapore League Cup and 1Community Shield.
After pulling out of the S.League in 2012, Étoile was converted to Ètoile Football Academy based in Commonwealth, aiming to provide quality football coaching and development for individuals from all walks of life.[1]
Étoile Football Cub became the eighth team defined by foreign team composition to compete in theS.League afterSinchi (2003),Albirex Niigata (S) (2004),Sporting Afrique (2006),Liaoning Guangyuan andSuper Reds (both 2007),Dalian Shide Siwu (2008) andDPMM (2009). Étoile's debut season was one for the team to remember as they were not only crowned champions of theSingapore League Cup, but also the Champions ofS.League and 3rd place in theSingapore Cup.
Étoile became the first foreign team to win the S.League title following a 4–2 win overAlbirex Niigata (S) at theJurong East Stadium. On that fateful night,Kazuki Kobayashi had scored twice to give the Japanese satellite team a 2–1 lead at half time. However, goals byFrédéric Mendy (2 goals) andMatthias Verschave sealed the title win for Étoile. Frédéric Mendy went on to become the 2010 S.League top scorer with 21 goals.
Étoile was the 'brainchild' of ex-Gombak United midfielderJohan Gouttefangeas. He was the chairman of Étoile since its formation in 2010. In June 2011, Johan relinquished his position as chairman andHicham Moudden took over.[2] In 2012,Ludovic Casset stepped up as chairman.
Étoile pulled out of the S.League for the 2012 season to focus on grassroots football and youth development with the creation of Étoile Academy.[3]
Étoile Academy bases itself on three core principles: Grassroots football is football for all, play is the best means of learning – above all, youngsters should have fun and children are not just miniature adults.[4]
They were sponsored byLufthansa Technik in 2017.[5]
During the2011 S.League match between Étoile andHougang United on 23 May 2011, several Étoile players were involved in the controversial match againstHougang United which was called off before kick-off when an all in brawl erupted during the pre-match warm up. Details of the fracas are sketchy, however it is believed the fight started when goalkeeperHadama Bathily entered the Hougang's warm up area to retrieve a miss-kicked ball. Bathily then attacked Hougang's assistant coachHasrin Jailani after it was claimed by Bathily that he was racially abused by Jailani. Both teams then rushed to defend their respective team members where the fight escalated. As a result of the fracas,Basit Abdul Hamid and the Hougang assistant coach were taken to hospital, whilst Étoile playersFranklin Anzite and Bathily were also taken to hospital.[6]
After a week-long disciplinary hearing from theFootball Association of Singapore, which took 5 sessions, a total of 18+ hours, finally reached a verdict. Both clubs were docked 5 points each, and fined$10,000, of which $5,000 is suspended until the end of the2011 S.League season, dependent on each clubs good behaviour.[7] ThreeHougang United members were charged with gross misconduct which brought the game into disrepute.[8] Assistant coach Jailani was fined $1,000, charged with usingvulgar language and received a 3-match touchline ban.[8] Hougang's captainShariff Abdul Samat was fined $1,500 and charged with committing an act of violence upon Bathily, and received a 5-match suspension.[8]Fathi Yunus was cleared of all charges by the tribunal.[8]
Bathili himself was charged with committing an act of violence upon the Hougang assistant coach, was fined $2,000 and received a 7-match ban,[8] whilst Bathili's teammateSerge Souchon-Koguia was charged with committing an assault on Hougang playerBasit Abdul Hamid, fined $1,500 and received a 5-match ban.[8]
Frédéric Mendy (2010)Yohann Lacroix (2010)| Season | Pos. | Pl. | W | D | L | GS | GA | P | Singapore Cup | League Cup | Top goalscorer | Managers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 1st | 33 | 21 | 7 | 5 | 54 | 23 | 70 | Third Place | Winners | Frédéric Mendy | 21 | Patrick Vallée |
| 2011 | 5th | 33 | 21 | 4 | 8 | 65 | 36 | 62 | Third Place | Quarter-finals | Jonathan Toto | 10 |  Guglielmo Arena |
| Rank | Player | Years | Club appearances |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anthony Moulin | 2010–2011 | 46 |
| 2 |  Serge Souchon-Koguia | 2010–2011 | 45 |
| 3 | Andréa Damiani | 2010–2012 | 44 |
| 4 | Nordine Talhi | 2010–2011 | 40 |
| 5 | Julien Delétraz | 2010–2011 | 37 |
| Cyril Bagnost | 2010–2011 | ||
 Frédéric Mendy | 2010 | ||
| 8 |  Pierre Nlaté | 2011 | 36 |
| 9 | Antonin Trilles | 2011 | 35 |
| Matthias Verschave | 2010 | ||
| Maxime Belouet | 2011–2012 | ||
| Sirina Camara | 2011 |
| Rank | Player | Club appearances | Total goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Frédéric Mendy | 37 | 24 |
| 2 | Jonathan Toto | 28 | 14 |
| 3 | Kamel Chaaouane | 23 | 10 |
| Matthias Verschave | 35 | ||
| 5 | Maxime Belouet | 35 | 8 |
| 7 |  Aly Doumbouya | 20 | 7 |
| Wilson Grosset | 29 | ||
| Théo Raymond | 32 | ||
| Karim Boudjema | 33 | ||
| Anthony Moulin | 46 |
