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| Full name | Valenciennes Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | VA Les Athéniens (The Athenians) | ||
| Founded | 1914; 111 years ago (1914) | ||
| Ground | Stade du Hainaut | ||
| Capacity | 25,172 | ||
| President | Henrik Kraft | ||
| Manager | Stéphane Mangione (caretaker) | ||
| League | Championnat National | ||
| 2023–24 | Ligue 2, 20th of 20 (relegated) | ||
| Website | www | ||
 Current season | |||
Valenciennes Football Club (French pronunciation:[valɑ̃sjɛn]ⓘ; commonly known asValenciennes,VA orVAFC) is aFrench professionalfootball club based inValenciennes. The club was founded in 1914 and currently play inChampionnat National, the third tier of French football. Valenciennes plays its home matches at the recently builtStade du Hainaut located within the city.[1]
Valenciennes was founded under the nameUnion Sportive de Valenciennes Anzin (USVA). The club spent over 80 years playing under the name before switching to its current name. Valenciennes has spent an almost equal amount of time playing inLigue 1 andLigue 2 having played 40 seasons in the first division and 36 seasons in the second division. The club has never won the first division, but has won Ligue 2 on two occasions. Valenciennes has also won theChampionnat National and theChampionnat de France amateur in 2005 and 1998, respectively. In1951, the club made its first and only appearance in aCoupe de France final.
From 2004 to 2011, Valenciennes was presided over by Francis Decourrière, a former politician who served as aMember of the European Parliament under theSocial Democratic Party from 1994 to 1999 and later theUnion pour la Démocratie Française (Union for French Democracy) from 1999 to 2004.[2] In 2011, Decourrière left the position and was replaced by Jean-Raymond Legrand.
Valenciennes Football Club was founded in 1913 by a group of young men known by surnames Colson, Joly, and Bouly. Due to the club having limited resources and its formation coinciding with the onset ofWorld War I, Valenciennes sought a consolidation between locals clubs in the city. The merger was completed in 1916 with the club changing its name toUnion Sportive de Valenciennes Anzin (USVA) in the process. Following the merger, the new club spent the ensuing 15 years playing theDistrict de l'Escaut Championship. In July 1930, the National Council of theFrench Football Federation voted 128–20 in support of professionalism in French football. Valenciennes, under the leadership of president M. Le Mithouard, achieved professionalism in 1933 and were inserted into thesecond division. The club, subsequently, became a founding member of the second division of French football.
In the second division'sinaugural season, Valenciennes finished in 7th place in its group. In thefollowing season, the league table was converted into a single table and Valenciennes finished in 2nd-place position earning promotion toDivision 1 as a result. During this period, the club was notably led by foreign players such asEnglishmenPeter O'Dowd andGeorge Gibson and the German-born attackers Édouard Waggi andIgnace Kowalczyk. In the club'sfirst season in Division 1, Valenciennes finished 15th place falling back to Division 2. The club finished equal on points withRed Star Olympique, but due to having less wins and a lesser goal difference, Valenciennes were relegated. After suffering relegation, the club brought in a new president known by the surname of Turbot. Soon after arriving, Turbot released several of the club's international players and brought in the likes ofErnest Libérati to replace them. The transition was a success with the club earning promotion back to Division 1 in 1937. However, Valenciennes stint back in Division 1 was the equivalent of its first. The club finished in last place in the1937–38 season and relegated back to Division 2. Due toWorld War II, Valenciennes reverted to amateur status and spent three of the six seasons in wartime playing amateur league football.
After the war, Valenciennes turned professional again and were back in the second division. The club spent a decade in Division 2 before earning promotion the top-flight ahead of the1956–57 season. Under manager Charles Demeillez, in 1951, Valenciennes reached the final of theCoupe de France. In the final, the club facedStrasbourg and were humbled 3–0 at theStade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir in theColombes. In the club's return to Division 1, Valenciennes finished in the latter part of the table for three consecutive seasons. In 1959, Valenciennes reached the final of the Coupe Drago, but were defeated 3–2 inextra time byLens at theParc des Princes. In the 1959–60 season, Valenciennes achieved its best finish in Division 1 after finishing 8th in the table. However, managerRobert Domergue was unable to keep the consistency as Valenciennes finished 19th in the following season. Valenciennes, now being led by youngsters Bolec Kocik andSerge Masnaghetti, achieved promotion back to Division 1 after one season and spent the next nine years playing in Division 1. During the stint, Domergue led to club to its highest finish ever in the first division when the club finished 3rd in back-to-back seasons in 1965 and 1966. After the 1966 season, Domergue departed the club and he was replaced by Gaby Robert. Neither Robert or his successor Louis Provelli could match the consistency of Domergue and he returned to the club in 1970. In the club's first season back, Domergue led the club to relegation in 1971, got the club promoted back to the first division in 1972, and coached the club to relegation again in 1973. He departed after the season and was replaced byJean-Pierre Destrumelle.
After spending the early 1970s hovering between top flight and the second division, Destrumelle led the club back to Division 1 for the1975–76 season. The manager had vast majority of talent in the club, most notablyBruno Metsu,Bruno Zaremba,Dominique Dropsy, andDidier Six and kept the club in the first division for his entire campaign, however, after finishing in 18th place in 1979, Dustremelle was fired and replaced by the combination ofErwin Wilczek and Bolek Tomowski. Under the duo, Valenciennes lasted in Division 1 until the 1983 season. The club, subsequently, spent the next decade playing in Division 2 under five different managers, which led supporters to slowly become disassociated with the club.
From 1988 to 1991, Valenciennes improved significantly under managerGeorges Peyroche. Peyroche left the club in 1991 andFrancis Smerecki was named as his replacement. In Smerecki's first season, he led the club back to Division 1. In the club'sfirst season back, Valenciennes were involved in a bribing scandal that effectively dismantled the club for the next decade. The scandal, which involved MarseillemidfielderJean-Jacques Eydelie and the club's general manager under the advisement of club chairmanBernard Tapie bribing Valenciennes playersChristophe Robert,Jacques Glassmann, andJorge Burruchaga, became headline news mainly due to Marseille being the most popular club in the country. It was asserted that the bribe was made in order for Valenciennes players to "take it easy" on Marseille players with the latter club having to play in the1993 UEFA Champions League Final against Italian clubMilan just days later. Marseille beat Valenciennes 1–0 and went on to defeat Milan to become the first French club to win the European competition. After the plot was discovered, Robert admitted to accepting the bribe, Burruchaga admitted to initially agreeing to it, but later changing his mind, while Glassmann said he never agreed to the deal.[3] The subsequent reports of the scandal completely tarnished the Valenciennes's image and several players departed the club amid embarrassment and speculation that they were also involved in the plot. With the club now playing inLigue 2, Valenciennes was unable to cope with the damage instilled on it due to the scandal and finished dead last in the league, thus falling to the third division for the first time in the club's lifetime. Two seasons later, the club was relegated to the fourth division due to financial problems. Ahead of the 1996–97 season, the club dropped to amateur status after filing for bankruptcy.
On 1 April 1996, the club was renamedValenciennes Football Club and finished in fifth place in its inaugural campaign under the name. In the following season, the fourth division was renamed to theChampionnat de France amateur and Valenciennes became inaugural champions of the league. Over the next seven seasons, Valenciennes played in theChampionnat National, excluding one season back in the CFA. In the 2004–05 season, the club won National and returned to the second division, now called Ligue 2. After one season, Valenciennes earned promotion back to the first division, now called Ligue 1, under the leadership ofAntoine Kombouaré. After eight years in Ligue 1, the club was relegated to the second division in 2014. Because of this relegation, VAFC experienced financial problems and saw the return to the business of the former ministerJean-Louis Borloo. He saved the club from demotion to the fourth division.
With six games left to play, Valenciennes were relegated back toChampionnat National in the2023–24 Ligue 2 season, following a 4–1 defeat toPau FC on 13 April 2024, ending a 19-year spell in the professional leagues.
After the club held on to its title at the last minute on the final day of the season, rumours of a sale resurfaced. On 16 June 2023, the management published a press release announcing that "the club's majority shareholders had entered into exclusive negotiations with Sport Republic, a London-based sports investment company and majority shareholder in English football club Southampton FC and Turkish football club Göztepe SK, with a view to investing in the club's economic and sporting development "64. On 13 July 2023, following two general meetings, the sale of the club was completed.
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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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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Below are the notable former players who have represented Valenciennes inleague and international competition since the club's foundation in 1913.
For a complete list of Valenciennes players, seeCategory:Valenciennes FC players.
Noel King
Nourredine Kourichi
Jorge Burruchaga
Wolfgang Matzky
Ivica Osim
Eugène EkékéRoger MillaJoseph Yegba Maya
Carlos Sanchez
Arthur Masuaku
Johan AudelJoseph BonnelJean-Claude BrasBernard ChiarelliRenaud CohadeDominique CorroyerGaël DanicLéon DesmenezJean-Claude DarchevilleDavid DucourtiouxLaurent DufresneJacky DuguépérouxDominique DropsyJean-Luc FugaldiJérôme FoulonFrancis GillotJacques GlassmannWilfried GohelJean-Pierre GuinotBolec KocikHocine LachaabThierry LaureyDaniel LeclercqJoseph MagieraSerge MasnaghettiRudy MaterBruno MetsuDaniel MoreiraJean-Pierre PapinNicolas PenneteauJean-Claude PiumiLouis ProvelliGrégory PujolJosé SaezSteve SavidanOrlando SilvestriDidier SixBruno ZarembaPascal Zaremba
Siaka Tiéné
Éric Chelle
Petrus Van Rhijn
Włodzimierz LubańskiErwin Wilczek
Milan Biševac
David Régis
Charles Griffiths (1933 - 1935)
Peter Fabian (1935 - 1938)Charles Demeillez (1938)Pierre Parmentier (1938 - 1946)Arthur Plummer (1946 - 1947)Pierre Parmentier (1947 - 1948)André Tison (1948 - November 1950)Henri Pérus (November 1950 – 1953)Charles Demeillez (1951 – 1953)Robert Domergue (1953 – 1966)Gaby Robert (1966 – 1970)Louis Provelli (1970)Robert Domergue (1970 – 1972)Jean-Pierre Destrumelle (1972 – 1979)Wilczek andTempowski (1979 – 1982)Erwin Wilczek (1982)Léon Desmenez (1982 – 1986)Daniel Leclercq (1986 – 1987)Victor Zvunka (1987 – 1988)Georges Peyroche (1988 – 1991)Francis Smerecki (1991 – 1992)
Boro Primorac (1992 – 1993)Bruno Metsu (1993 – 1994)Robert Dewilder (1994 – April 1996)Dominique Corroyer (April 1996 – June 1996)Ludovic Batelli (1996 – 2000)Didier Ollé-Nicolle (2000 – June 2003)Daniel Leclercq (June 2003 – July 2005)
Antoine Kombouaré (July 2005 – June 2009)Philippe Montanier (June 2009 – June 2011)Daniel Sanchez (June 2011 – October 2013)
Ariël Jacobs (October 2013 – July 2014)Bernard Casoni (July 2014 – February 2015)David Le Frapper (Feb. 2015 – Dec. 2015)Nicolas Rabuel (January 2016)Faruk Hadzibegic (Jan. 2016 – Sep. 2017)Nicolas Rabuel (Oct. 2017 – Nov. 2017)Réginald Ray (Nov. 2017 – June 2019)Olivier Guégan (June 2019 – Nov. 2021)Christophe Delmotte (Nov.2021 - )
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