History of French Football:
Football first started to become popular in France at the turn of the 20th century (1897). National Team and the French Football Federation: In 1904 the French National Football team was created and the first match they played was against Belgium, later that year, with a 3-3 draw as the result. The French's success at an international level led to the creation of the French Football Federation in 1919. By 1920 the French Football Federation took over control of the French Cup. Currently, the FFF governs all of French football as well as selecting the players for the national team. The French Cup: In 1917 the French Cup was founded by Charles Simon Challenge. 48 teams competed in it, with the champion being Olympic Pantin. Early World Cup: France competed in the first World Cup which was played in Uruguay in 1930. The first World Cup goal for the French was scored by Lucien Laurent against Mexico on July 13th 1930, which occurred in the 19th minute of the first half. The French beat Mexico 4-1, however they lost their following two matches against Argentina, then Chile. France held its first World Cup in 1938, with its national team making it to the quarterfinals. Later World Cup: In the 1958 World Cup, the French National Team finished third, while losing to Pele and Brazil (who would go on to win the world cup) in the semifinals. In this World Cup, Just Fontaine set a World Cup record for the most goals scored in a World Tournament which stood until 2009. The French National team didn't perform well, following their third place finish, until 1998 in which they won the World Cup held in France. France continued its success from this point, when Roger Lemerrre led them to a second European title in 2000. It was a very close game, and just as it seemed France was beaten, Sylvian Wiltore settled the score. 13 minutes into extra time David Trezeguet sealed the deal and the French began UEFA EURO 2000 Champions. Following that, the French also won FIFA Confederations Cup titles in 2001 and 2003. Decline: At the next World Cup in Japan/South Korea, they were knocked out at the first stage. They returned to qualify for UEFA EURO 2004, however they lost in the quarter finals to the eventual champions, Greece. AS Monaco FC surprisingly made themselves candidates for the UEFA Champions League, beating Chelsea FC and Real Madrid CF and then eventually losing to FC Porto. Comeback: Lilian Thuram, Claude Makélélé and Zidane returned from international retirement and ended up leading Raymond Domenech's team to the 2006 World Cup Final against Italy. Captain Zidane scored first, securing himself as the fourth player to ever score in two World Cup finals, however Marco Materazzi tied the game. France lost due to penalty kicks secured by Azzurri, and they wouldn't get past the group stage until UEFA EURO 2012. This was when Lauren Blanc led the team to the quarter finals, before falling to Spain. Ligue One: With the FFF's creation of the Ligue One in 1932, the French became one of the first European countries to created a professional football league. Olympique Lillois were the first champions in 1932, however the teams to dominate Ligue One in the time period of 1955-83 were Stade de Reims (six titles), FC Nantes (six titles) and AS Saint Etienne (ten titles). Marseille: Marseille, established in 1897 is one of the most successful football clubs in French football history. They have won eight Ligue One Titles and ten French Cup titles. They went on to win the Champions League title in 1993 and are the only French team to do so. In the 1980s and 90s they dominated Ligue One, winning back to back titles from 1988-1992. |
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