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.
The 1984 UEFA European Football Championship final tournament was held in France from 12 to 27 June 1984. It was the seventh UEFA European Championship, a competition held every four years and endorsed by UEFA.
Didier Claude Deschamps is a French professional football manager and former player who has been managing the France national team since 2012. He played as a defensive midfielder for several clubs, in France, Italy, England and Spain, namely Marseille, Juventus, Chelsea and Valencia, as well as Nantes and Bordeaux. Nicknamed "the water-carrier" by former France teammate Eric Cantona, Deschamps was an intelligent and hard-working defensive midfielder who excelled at winning back possession and subsequently starting attacking plays, and also stood out for his leadership throughout his career. As a French international, he was capped on 103 occasions and took part at three UEFA European Football Championships and one FIFA World Cup, captaining his nation to victories in the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000.
Jean-Pierre Roger Guillaume 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.
The Coupe de France, also known in English as the French Cup or less commonly as the France Cup, is the premier knockout cup competition in French football organised by the French Football Federation (FFF). It was first held in 1917 and is open to all amateur and professional football clubs in France, including clubs based in the overseas departments and territories. Between 1917 and 1919, the competition was called the Coupe Charles Simon, in tribute of Charles Simon, a French sportsman and the founder of the French Interfederal Committee, who died in 1915 while serving in World War I. The final is played at the Stade de France and the winner qualifies for the group stage of the UEFA Europa League and a place in the Trophée des Champions match. A concurrent women's tournament is also held, the Coupe de France Féminine.
Association de la Jeunesse Auxerroise, commonly known as AJ Auxerre or simply Auxerre, is a French professional football club based in the commune of Auxerre in Burgundy. The club was founded in 1905 and currently plays in Ligue 2, the second division of French football. Auxerre plays its home matches at the Stade de l'Abbé-Deschamps, on the banks of the Yonne River. The team is managed by Christophe Pélissier.
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.
Laurent Robert Blanc is a French professional football manager and former player who played as a centre-back, and was most recently the manager of Ligue 1 club Lyon. He has the nickname Le Président, which was given to him following his stint at Marseille in tribute to his leadership skills.
Football Club de Nantes, commonly referred to as FC Nantes or simply Nantes, is a French professional football club based in Nantes in Pays de la Loire. The club was founded on 21 April 1943, during World War II, as a result of local clubs based in the city coming together to form one large club. From 1992 to 2007, the club was referred to as FC Nantes Atlantique before reverting to its current name at the start of the 2007–08 season. Nantes play in Ligue 1, the first division of Football in France. Nantes is one of the most successful clubs in French football, having won eight Ligue 1 titles, four Coupe de France wins and attained one Coupe de la Ligue victory.
Raymond Goethals was a Belgian football coach who led Marseille to victory in the UEFA Champions League final in 1993, becoming the first coach to win a European trophy with a French club and also the only coach to win the Champions League with a French club.
Franck Gaston Henri Sauzée is a French former professional footballer and manager. Throughout his playing career, he played as either a midfielder or defender, representing the France national team on 39 occasions between 1988 and 1993, scoring nine goals, and captaining the team several times. He achieved great success at club level during the same period, winning the 1993 UEFA Champions League Final and three league titles with Marseille. Later in his career he earned great plaudits for his performances for Scottish club Hibernian, whom Sauzée subsequently managed for a short period. Since ending his active involvement in professional football, Sauzée has worked as a football pundit for French television networks.
Jocelyn Angloma is a Guadeloupean football manager and former professional player who played as a defender. Born in Guadeloupe, he represented both the France and Guadeloupe national teams. He is the head coach of the Guadeloupe national team.
Michel François Hidalgo was a French professional footballer and manager. He was the head coach of the France national team from 1976 to 1984, with whom he won the UEFA Euro 1984 on home soil, also reaching the semi-finals of the 1982 FIFA World Cup.
Luis Miguel Fernández Toledo, known as Luis Fernandez, is a French football manager and former player who played as a defensive midfielder.
Klaus Allofs is a German former professional football player, manager, and executive.
Steve Mandanda Mpidi is a French professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper and is the captain of Ligue 1 club Rennes.
Karlheinz Helmut Förster is a German former professional footballer who played as a central defender.
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.
Éric Yves Di Meco is a French former professional footballer who played as a left back.
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.
