Racing Club de France Football

Racing Club de France Football (French pronunciation: ​[ʁasiŋ klœb də fʁɑ̃s], also known as Racing Paris, RCF Paris, Matra Racing, Racing Club, or Racing) is a French association football club based in Colombes, a suburb of Paris.

This article is about the association football club. For the rugby union club, see Racing 92.

Racing Club de France
Full nameRacing Club de France Football
Founded1882 (1882)
GroundStade Lucien-Choine
Colombes
Capacity14,000
ChairmanPatrick Norbert
ManagerGuillaume Norbert
LeagueNational 3 Group L
2019–20National 3 Group L, 5th
WebsiteClub website

Racing was founded in 1882 as a multi-discipline sports club, and is one of the oldest clubs in French football history. The team plays in the Championnat National 3, the fifth level of French football. Racing is managed by former player Azzedine Meguellatti and hosts its home matches at the Stade Lucien-Choine, a smaller stadium next to the Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir in Colombes.[1][2]

Racing Club de France, founded in 1882, was a founding member of Ligue 1. The club has won one Ligue 1 title (in 1935–36) and five Coupe de France titles, and is tied for fourth-best. Racing also played in the Union des Sociétés Françaises de Sports Athlétiques-sanctioned league, France's first championship league. The club debuted in the league in 1899 and won the championship in 1907 after finishing second in 1902 and 1903.

Notable players include Roger Marche, Oscar Heisserer, Thadée Cisowski, Raoul Diagne, Luis Fernández, Maxime Bossis, David Ginola, Luís Sobrinho, Pierre Littbarski, Enzo Francescoli, Alfred Bloch, and Rubén Paz. Diagne spent a decade with the club (1930–1940) and, in 1931, was the first black player on the French national team. He played in the 1938 FIFA World Cup with Abdelkader Ben Bouali, his Racing teammate who was one of the first North African players on the national team. From 2009 to 2012, the club moved to nearby Levallois-Perret after reaching a financial agreement with the commune.

History
Racing (in dark jersey with horizontal stripes) playing Argentine Racing Club in Parc des Princes, 1950

During the 1900 Summer Olympics, Racing Club de France hosted the athletics events at Croix-Catelan Stadium (the club's previous home).[3] Racing's zenith was the 1930s and 1940s, when the club won Ligue 1 in 1936 and the Coupe de France in 1936, 1939, 1940, 1945 and 1949. The club was also successful in the early 1960s, finishing second in the first division in 1961 and 1962. However, Racing was a focal point of the financial crisis affecting French football during the mid-1960s. The club's financial struggles resulted in its relegation to the lower divisions.

In 1982, businessman Jean-Luc Lagardère wanted to build a team of stars and invested in the club as a second major club in Paris (with Paris Saint-Germain). Although he considered a merger of Paris FC and Racing, the Racing management refused due to a lack of detailed information on PFC finances. Lagardère bought the Paris FC (incurring a debt of more than four million francs) and renamed it "Paris Racing 1". Lagardère invested in experienced players in 1982 and 1983.

Lagardère, determined to lead his club to the European Cup draws in 1987, hired Portuguese coach Artur Jorge after Jorge's victory in the European Cup with FC Porto. He completed the team with Gérard Buscher and Pascal Olmeta. However, the club fell on hard times and attendance declined. During the late 1980s, Racing lost 300 million francs.

The club, relegated to the amateur levels, sought firmer financial footing. In December 2008, Georgios Kintis tried unsuccessfully to buy the club.[4] Before the 2009–10 season, Racing reached a financial agreement with the city of Levallois. The club's association and support from the commune resulted in a name change to Racing Club de France Levallois 92.[5] Despite assistance from Levallois, Racing was relegated to the Championnat de France amateur 2 by the DNCG in July 2010 after it was determined that the club had a €500,000 debt. On 21 November 2010, Racing Levallois and UJA Alfortville announced plans to merge for the following season. In 2012, the club returned to Colombes as Racing Club de France Colombes 92.

Name changes
  • Racing Club de France: (1896–1932, 1966–1981, 2005–2007)
  • Racing Club de Paris: (1932–1966, 1981–1987, 1999–2005)
  • Matra Racing: (1987–1989)
  • Racing Paris 1: (1989–1991)
  • Racing 92: (1991–1995)
  • Racing Club de France 92: (1995–1999)
  • Racing Club de France football 92: (2007–2009)
  • Racing Club de France Levallois 92: (2009–2012)
  • Racing Club de France Colombes 92: (2012–2018)
  • Racing Club de France Football: (2018–present)

Players

Current squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
— GK  FRA Raphaël Adiceam
— GK  CMR Siegfried Aissi-Kede
— DF  FRA Sofian Saidi
— DF  IRN Shahriar Shandiz
— DF  CIV Eric Liri
— DF  GAB Steeve N'Guéma
— DF  FRA Mehdi Tamaglit
— DF  FRA Brice Mélinard
— DF  FRA Damien Perrinelle
— DF  MTN Ousmane Samba
— DF  FRA Sofiane Jdaini
— MF  FRA Junior Epo Edimo
No. Pos. Nation Player
— MF  FRA Kalifa Macalou
— MF  FRA Mamadou Meité
— MF  FRA Younes Jaoual
— MF  GLP Thierry Racon
— MF  FRA Sébastien Pihourd
— MF  ALG Karim Meliani
— MF  GUF Boris Kong
— FW  CIV Aboubacar Sylla
— FW  FRA Nassim Mountasser
— FW  ANG Fernando Miranda
— FW  FRA Ted Bolongo

Past players

The following players have represented Racing in league and international competition since the club's foundation in 1882. They have played in at least 100 official matches for the club, or achieved prominence elsewhere. For a complete list of RCF Paris players, see Category:Racing Club de France football Colombes 92 players.

Officials
  • President: Jean-Michel Jaquot
  • Vice-presidents: Bruno Texier, Denis Marsault
  • General secretary: Alain Lemoine
  • Assistant managers: Vincent Bordot, José Freitas, Robert Leveque

Managers

Honours

References
  1. "Un nouveau manager général Azzedine Meguellatti" (in French). Racing Club de France Football. 14 July 2010. Retrieved 29 December 2010.
  2. "Le Stade Yves du Manoir" (in French). Racing Club de France Football. Archived from the original on 31 July 2010. Retrieved 29 December 2010.
  3. 1900 Summer Olympics official report. p. 15. (in French)
  4. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 12 September 2008. Retrieved 19 August 2012.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. "Partenariat Levallois-Racing". 28 May 2009.
  6. "Les entraîneurs du Racing depuis 1932" (in French). Allez Racing. Retrieved 29 December 2010.
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