Olympique de Marseille, also known simply as Marseille or by the abbreviation OM, is a French professional football club based in Marseille that competes in Ligue 1, the top flight of French football. Founded in 1899, the club has won nine league titles, ten Coupe de France titles, three Coupe de la Ligue titles, three Trophée des Champions titles, a national record of one UEFA Champions League and a joint national record of one UEFA Intertoto Cup. Additionally, Marseille has played in three UEFA Europa League finals. In 1993, coach Raymond Goethals led the team to become the first and only French club to win the UEFA Champions League, defeating Milan 1–0 in the final, the first under the UEFA Champions League branding of the tournament. In 2010, Marseille won its first Ligue 1 title in 18 years under the management of former club captain Didier Deschamps.
Jean-Pierre Papin is a French football manager and former professional player who played as a forward and is the current technical advisor of Ligue 1 club Marseille. Considered to be one of the best centre-forwards of his generation, he won the Ballon d'Or in 1991.
Olympique Lyonnais, commonly referred to as simply Lyon or OL, is a French professional football club based in the city of Lyon in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. They play in France's highest football division, Ligue 1. Founded in 1950, the club won its first Ligue 1 championship in 2002, starting a national record-setting streak of seven successive titles. Lyon has also won eight Trophées des Champions, five Coupes de France, and three Ligue 2 titles.
Racing Club de Lens, commonly referred to as RC Lens or simply Lens, is a French professional football club based in the northern city of Lens in the department of Pas-de-Calais. The club's nickname, Les Sang et Or, comes from its traditional colours of red and gold. As of the 2023–24 season, Lens competes in Ligue 1, the highest tier of French football.
Sporting Club Bastia is a French association football club based in Bastia on the island of Corsica. The club plays in Ligue 2, the second tier of French football, having won the 2020–21 Championnat National. The club plays its home matches at the Stade Armand Cesari located within the city. SC Bastia is known for its strong association with Corsican nationalism.
Montpellier Hérault Sport Club, commonly referred to as Montpellier HSC or simply Montpellier, is a French professional football club based in the city of Montpellier in Occitanie. The original club was founded in 1919, while the current incarnation was founded through a merger in 1974. Montpellier currently plays in Ligue 1, the top level of French football and plays its home matches at the Stade de la Mosson, located within the city. The first team is managed by Michel Der Zakarian and captained by Teji Savanier.
Élie Baup is a French football manager and a former footballer who played as a goalkeeper. His last post was the manager of Ligue 1 side Marseille.
Josip Skoblar is a Croatian former professional football player and manager. He was primarily a forward, and also capable of playing on both wings. In 1971, he won the European Golden Shoe with 44 goals.
Nîmes Olympique is a French association football club based in Nîmes. The club was founded on 10 April 1937 and currently plays in the Championnat National, the third tier of French football. The Stade des Antonins is the club’s home stadium.
Albert Emon is French football manager and former player. He was most recently in charge of the Ligue 1 club AC Ajaccio.
Sidi Yaya Keita is a Malian former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder.
Basile Boli is a former professional footballer who played as a defender, and a current television sports presenter. He spent the majority of his career with Auxerre and Marseille before ending his career with spells at Scottish club Rangers, at Monaco, and at Japanese side Urawa Reds. Born in Ivory Coast, he made 45 appearances and scored one goal representing the France national team.
Florian Maurice is a French football executive and former professional footballer who played as a striker. He most notably won the 1998 Coupe de France and Coupe de la Ligue with French team Paris Saint-Germain. He played six games and scored a single goal for the France national team, also representing his nation at the 1996 Summer Olympics. He is currently the technical director of Ligue 1 club Rennes.
Gilbert Gress is a French football coach and a former player. He was the mentor of Arsène Wenger.
The 1972 Coupe de France final was a football match held at Parc des Princes, Paris on 4 June 1972, that saw Olympique de Marseille defeat SEC Bastia 2–1 thanks to goals by Didier Couécou and Josip Skoblar.
Gunnar Andersson was a Swedish footballer who played as a striker. He is widely considered one of Olympique de Marseille's best strikers, and is the highest scorer of the club. Born in Sweden, he played for the France national football B team once.
Daniel Leclercq was a French football defender and manager. He played 440 matches from 1967 to 1984 for US Valenciennes, Olympique de Marseille and RC Lens. He later managed clubs from 1986 to 2017. He remains the only manager to have led RC Lens to the Ligue 1 championship.
The 2011 Coupe de la Ligue final was the 17th final of France's football league cup competition, the Coupe de la Ligue, a football competition for the 44 teams that the Ligue de Football Professionnel manages. The final took place on 23 April 2011 at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis and was contested between Marseille and Montpellier. Marseille were the defending champions of the competition and was the fourth club in the competition's history to appear in the final match in back-to-back seasons. The winner was guaranteed a UEFA Europa League place for the 2011–12 season with their appearance being dependent on whether they qualify for the 2011–12 UEFA Champions League. The final and both semi-finals were broadcast live on France 2.
The 2012 Coupe de la Ligue final was the 18th final of France's football league cup competition, the Coupe de la Ligue, a football competition for the 42 teams that the Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) manages. The final took place on 14 April 2012 at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis and was contested between Lyon and Marseille. The latter club entered the match as the two-time defending champions of the competition and sought to become the first club in French football history to win the competition three consecutive years after previously becoming the first club to win the competition in back-to-back seasons. Lyon made its first finals appearance since the 2008 Coupe de France Final and played at the Stade de France for the first time in nearly three years. The final was broadcast live on public network broadcaster France Télévisions.
