May 26, 2012
Ligue One
Toulouse FC finished the season tied with Olympique Lyonnais, but took home the Ligue One championship by virtue of a nine-goal edge in scoring differential. OM joins those two in the Champions League next year, while AS Saint-Etienne, AS Monaco, and Stade Malherbe Caen will compete in the EURO Cup. Notice who’s missing: last year’s champion, Paris Saint-Germain, finished in eighth place after a decidedly average season.
Perhaps the best performance came from LOSC Lille Métropole, who finished eleventh in their first year after promotion. The other two newly promoted teams, USBCO and Montpellier Hérault SC, were relegated back to Ligue 2 along with Le Mans UC 72.
Top Goalscorer: 31, Robert Vittek (LOSC Lille Métropole)
Top Rated Player: 7.78, Moussa Sissoko (Toulouse FC)
Last year’s top goalscorer, Guillaume Hoarau, had a solid year for Paris Saint-Germain, and this was Sissoko’s second consecutive year as the top rated player in Ligue One. There are rumors that he may be destined for England in the near future.
Ligue 2
ESTAC ran away with the Ligue Two title, followed by Tours FC and FC Nantes. For Nantes, that means their stay in Ligue Two was a single season. The news was at the bottom of the table where RC Strasbourg, Paris FC, and Grenoble Foot 38 were relegated, meaning Grenoble dropped two levels in two years. Of the three teams promoted last season, Paris FC heads back down, but both Chamois Niortais and Stade de Reims survive for another year in France’s second division.
Top Goalscorer: 35, Thiago Ribeiro (RC Strasbourg)
Top Rated Player: 7.75, Fatjon Rroshi (Stade Rennais FC)
Ribeiro parlayed his excellent season into a transfer to Ligue One OGC Nice while Albanian wunderkind Rroshi has been attracting the attention of Tottenham, Bursapor, and Paris Saint-Germain after a great year that saw him score twenty-five and setup fourteen. Both of last year’s stars, Amr Zaki and Silvan Aegerter moved up to Ligue One with LOSC Lille Métropole, having solid seasons in the top flight.
French National
Stade Brestois 29 and SC Bastia return to Ligue Two, along with Evian TG FC. Those three teams were clearly the class of the French National League, easily outdistancing US Créteil-Lusitanos. Racing CF Levallois 92, Rodez Aveyron Football, Sporting Toulon Var, and Pacy Football all find themselves moving down on the season.
Top Goalscorer: 22, Kassi Ouédraogo (AC Arles Avignon)
Top Rated Player: 7.57, Khaled Melliti (AC Arles Avignon)
With both recognized players, it may be a surprise that Arles finished only four points above the relegation zone. Last year’s top goalscorer retired from professional football while Oliver Fontenette had a solid year for Arles.
MKNN 