Paris Football Club is a French association football club based in Paris. The club was founded in 1969 and currently play in the Championnat National

Championnat National

The Championnat de France National, commonly referred to as simply National or Division 3, serves as the third division of the French football league system behind Ligue 1 and Ligue 2...

, the third level of French football

Football in France

Football is the most popular sport in France. The Fédération Française de Football is the national governing bodyand is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the game of association football in the country, both professional and amateur...

. Paris plays its home matches at the Stade Charléty

Stade Sebastien Charlety

Stade Sebastien Charléty, known simply as Stade Charléty or just Charléty, is a multi-use stadium in the 13th arrondissement of Paris, France. Officially, the current capacity of the stadium is 20,000 people. The stadium opened in 1938 and was designed by French architect Bernard Zehrfuss...

 located in the 13th arrondissement of Paris. The team is managed by Alain Mboma and captained by midfielder

Midfielder

A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...

 Ibrahima Fayé.

Paris was founded in 1969 and later merged with Stade Saint-Germain to form Paris Saint-Germain. The current Paris FC exists as a result of the club splitting from Paris Saint-Germain. Unlike its counterpart, which has gone on to establish a solid foundation, Paris FC have endured a bleak history having spent the majority of its life playing in the amateur divisions. The club's highest honor to date was winning its group in the Championnat de France amateur in 2006. Paris FC last played in Ligue 1

Ligue 1

Ligue 1 , is the French professional league for association football clubs. It is the country's primary football competition and serves as the top division of the French football league system. Ligue 1 is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Professionnel, the other being Ligue 2....

 in the 1978–79 season.

Though Paris FC have struggled domestically, the club has served as a springboard for several youth players who have gone on to have successful professional careers. Notable players who started their careers at PFC include Jean-Christophe Thouvenel

Jean-Christophe Thouvenel

Jean-Christophe Thouvenel is a French former professional football player.Thouvenel was a member of the French squad that won the gold medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California....

, Mamadou Sakho

Mamadou Sakho

Mamadou Sakho is a French international footballer who currently plays for French club Paris Saint-Germain in Ligue 1. He primarily plays as a centre back for his club, but can also deputized as a left back if necessary. Sakho is known for his leadership credentials, his tireless engine,...

, Tijani Belaid

Tijani Belaid

Tijani Belaid is a French-born Tunisian international footballer who plays for APOEL as a midfielder.-Club career:Born in Paris, Île-de-France, Belaid started his career at Paris FC, close to his birthplace. In 2004, he signed for Internazionale's Primavera side...

, Aymen Belaïd

Aymen Belaïd

Aymen Belaïd , sometimes spelled as Aïmen, is a French-born Tunisian football player who currently plays for French club Grenoble in Ligue 2. He plays as a versatile left-sided midfielder capable of playing anywhere along the back line in defence. Aymen is the younger brother of Tijani Belaid who...

, and Gabriel Obertan

Gabriel Obertan

Gabriel Antoine Obertan is a French footballer who plays for Newcastle United in the Premier League. He primarily plays as a winger, but can also play in the centre of midfield and as a striker....

. Sakho and the Belaïd brothers have since became senior internationals for their respective national teams, while Thouvenel went on to win a gold medeal at the 1984 Summer Olympics

Football at the 1984 Summer Olympics

The football tournament at the 1984 Summer Olympics started on July 29 and ended on August 11. It featured only a men's tournament, as women's football had yet to become an Olympic event. It was the first Olympic football competition in which professionals were allowed...

. Manager Roger Lemerre started his managerial career with the club before leading France

France national football team

The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...

 to titles at UEFA Euro 2000 and the 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup

2001 FIFA Confederations Cup

-Group B:---------------------Knockout stage:-Semi-finals:-----Third place play-off:-Final:-Awards:-Top scorers:2 goals Shaun Murphy Éric Carrière Robert Pirès Patrick Vieira Sylvain Wiltord Takayuki Suzuki Hwang Sun-Hong...

.

History

In an effort to re-launch professional football in the city of Paris, Paris Football Club was founded on 1 August 1969. The objective of the club was to be playing in the first division

Ligue 1

Ligue 1 , is the French professional league for association football clubs. It is the country's primary football competition and serves as the top division of the French football league system. Ligue 1 is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Professionnel, the other being Ligue 2....

 by 1970. An attempted merger with CS Sedan Ardennes

CS Sedan Ardennes

Club Sportif Sedan Ardennes, commonly referred to as CS Sedan or simply Sedan , is a French association football club based in Sedan. The club was formed in 1919 and currently play in Ligue 2, the second level of French football. Sedan plays its home matches at the Stade Louis Dugauguez located...

 was refused so Paris went looking in the second division

Ligue 2

Ligue 2 , formerly known as Division 2, is a French professional football league. The league serves as the second division of French football and is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Professionnel , the other being Ligue 1, the country's top football division...

 and, subsequently, merged with Stade Saint-Germain to form Paris Saint-Germain, the professional club that currently plays in Ligue 1

Ligue 1

Ligue 1 , is the French professional league for association football clubs. It is the country's primary football competition and serves as the top division of the French football league system. Ligue 1 is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Professionnel, the other being Ligue 2....

 today. The current incarnation of Paris FC came into being in 1972 when the club split from Paris Saint-Germain after coming under pressure from the capital city's mayor, who refused to support a non-Parisian club (the club had originally been situated in nearby Saint-Germain-en-Laye

Saint-Germain-en-Laye

Saint-Germain-en-Laye is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France in north-central France. It is located in the western suburbs of Paris from the centre.Inhabitants are called Saint-Germanois...

). As a result, a bitter split occurred and both Paris FC and Paris Saint-Germain remained as separate football club with the main agreement being that Paris FC had the right to keep the splitting entity's first division and professional status, as well as all the professional players. Paris Saint-Germain were, on the other hand, administratively relegated to the third division and given all the former entity's amateur players.

At the beginning of the 1972–73 season, Paris were playing in the first division hosting matches at the Parc des Princes

Parc des Princes

The Parc des Princes is an all-seater football stadium located in the southwest of Paris, France. The venue, with a seating capacity of 48,712 spectators, has been the home of French football club Paris Saint-Germain since 1974. The current Parc des Princes was inaugurated on 4 June 1972, endowed...

. Two seasons later, the club was relegated to the second division, which coincided with Paris Saint-Germain's rise to top-flight and the acquisition of the Parc des Princes. After four years of playing in Division 2, Paris returned to the first division for the 1978–79 season. However, the season was a difficult one and resulted in the club falling back to Division 2 after one season. Paris FC have since yet to return to the top-flight league of France.

In 1983, Paris FC, then led by the industrialist Jean-Luc Lagardère, merged with Racing Club de France. While Racing remained in the first division, the remaining entity that was PFC was administratively relegated to the fourth division. Due to having limited resources, Paris fell to the Division d'Honneur after one season and, subsequently, spent four seasons in the fifth division before returning to Division 4 in 1988. Another promotion the following season saw Paris earn a place in Division 3. Paris remained in the division for 12 years becoming inaugural members of the Championnat National in the process. In 2000, the club finished 17th and were relegated to the Championnat de France amateur. Paris spent six years in the league before returning to National for the 2006–07 season.

Current squad

As of 1 August, 2011

Notable players

Below are the notable former players who have represented Paris and its predecessors in league

Ligue 1

Ligue 1 , is the French professional league for association football clubs. It is the country's primary football competition and serves as the top division of the French football league system. Ligue 1 is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Professionnel, the other being Ligue 2....

 and international competition since the club's foundation in 1969. To appear in the section below, a player must have played in at least 80 official matches for the club.

For a complete list of Paris players, see :Category:Paris FC players
Jean-François Beltramini

Jean-François Beltramini

Jean-François Beltramini is a French former professional football player.-External links:**...

 Georges Eo

Georges Eo

Georges Eo is a French football manager and former midfielder. He was assistant manager of Nantes from 1987 to 2005, during which time the club won 2 Ligue 1 titles...

 Bernard Guignedoux Bruno Knockaert Jean-Claude Lafargue Fabrice Moreau

Fabrice Moreau

Fabrice Moreau is a former French-Cameroonian footballer.Played in 17 different clubs before retiring at 36, in 2004. Born from a French father and a Cameroonian mother, he was a full international for the latter, although not in any major tournament's final stages.-External links:**...

 Jimmy Modeste

Jimmy Modeste

Jimmy Modeste is a Cape Verdean international soccer defender currently playing for Nea Salamina.-External links:* * *...

 Paul Orsatti
Francis Peltier Philippe Prieur

Philippe Prieur

Philippe Prieur is a former professional footballer. He played as a striker.-External links:* at chamoisfc79.fr...

 Jean-Luc Rabat Pascal Rousseau Lamri Laachi

Lamri Laachi

Lamri Laachi is a former Algerian footballer. He played as a defender. He spent the majority of his career with Paris FC except for a stint with RCF Paris.-External links:**...

 Omar da Fonseca

Omar da Fonseca

Omar da Fonseca is an Argentine former football striker.-External links:...

 Armand Ossey

Armand Ossey

Armand Ossey born on 19 October 1978 in Libreville, Gabon is a former Gabonese international football striker who played between 1995 and 2008. During his career he played in Gabon as well as in France, Portugal and in Estonia in which his previous clubs include CS Stade d'Akebe Libreville,...

Club hierarchy

As of 21 December 2010

Position	Name	Nationality
Owner	Philippe Bompard
President	Guy Cotret
Vice-president	Christian Amara
Sporting Director	Fabrice Vanneste
Director	Mario Grieco
Club Advisors	Laurent Barrière Caroline Bettati Pierre Ferracci Geneviève Goffaux Mony Lachmann Noël Le Graët

Current coaching staff

Position	Staff
Manager	Jean-Luc Vannuchi
Assistant First Team Coach	Michel Benezet
Goalkeeper Coach	Kamel Bousseliou
Kinesiotherapy	Philippe Allary
Physiotherapist	Laurent Raynal
Masseur	Gérard Forcada
Reserve Team Coach	Roger Zaba
Youth Team Manager	Patrice Lecornu Patrice Lecornu Patrice Lecornu is a French retired professional football striker.-External links:*...
Youth Team Coach	Meheni Ziani

Managerial history

Louis Hon (1972–73) Antoine Dalla Cieca (1973–76) Robert Vicot

Robert Vicot

Robert Vicot is a former French football defender. He played for Ivry sur Seine, Bazar de l'Hôtel de Ville, Toulon and SO Le Lavandou.Vicot coached SO Le Lavandou, Châteauroux, Paris SG, Rouen, Paris FC, Gabon and Béziers....

 (1976–79) Roger Lemerre (1979–81) Alberto Muro (1981–83) Luc Rabat (1983–86) Pierre Lechantre (1987–92) Hubert Velud

Hubert Velud

Hubert Velud is a French football manager and former player.-Coaching career:He coached Châlons-sur-Marne, Gap, Paris FC, Gazélec Ajaccio, Clermont, Cherbourg, Créteil, Toulon, Beauvais...

 (1992) Delio Onnis

Delio Onnis

Delio Onnis is a retired Argentine football forward. He was nicknamed "el Tano" in Argentina....

 (1992–95) Hubert Velud

Hubert Velud

Hubert Velud is a French football manager and former player.-Coaching career:He coached Châlons-sur-Marne, Gap, Paris FC, Gazélec Ajaccio, Clermont, Cherbourg, Créteil, Toulon, Beauvais...

 (1995–99) Jean-François Charbonnier (1999) Jean-Pierre Carayon (1999 – November 99) Robert Buigues

Robert Buigues

Robert Buigues is a French former professional football player and manager.Whilst playing for Olympique de Marseille, Buigues started in the 1976 French Cup final and collected a winner's medal when Marseille defeated Olympique Lyonnais 2–0.Buigues' long career both as a player and a manager...

 (November 1999–02) Philippe Lemaître (2002–04) Patrick Parizon

Patrick Parizon

Patrick Parizon is a football manager. He was fired from coaching SM Caen in June 2009.-References:*...

 (2002–05) Jean-Marc Pilorget

Jean-Marc Pilorget

Jean-Marc Pilorget is a retired footballer.-Career:Pilorget is the all-time leader in appearance for Paris Saint-Germain, with 370 matches...

 (2005–07) Jean-Guy Wallemme

Jean-Guy Wallemme

Jean-Guy Wallemme is a former French footballer, who is currently manager manager of Congo.He was a mainstay of the RC Lens team which won the French championship in 1998.In August 2011 he took over the Congolese national team....

 (2007–08) Jean-Marc Pilorget

Jean-Marc Pilorget

Jean-Marc Pilorget is a retired footballer.-Career:Pilorget is the all-time leader in appearance for Paris Saint-Germain, with 370 matches...

 (2008–09) Jean-Luc Vannuchi (2009–)

Honours

• Championnat de France amateur
  • Champions (1): 2006
• Division d'Honneur (Paris)
  • Champions (2): 1988, 2010