Olympique Lyonnais

Olympique Lyonnais (French pronunciation: ​[ɔlɛ̃pik ljɔnɛ]; commonly referred to as simply Lyon, or OL) (Euronext: OLG) is a French football club based in Lyon. It plays in France's highest football division, Ligue 1. The club was formed as Lyon Olympique Universitaire in 1899, according to many supporters and sport historians, but was nationally established as a club in 1950. The club's most successful period has been the 21st century. The club won its first Ligue 1 championship in 2002, starting a national record-setting streak of seven successive titles. Lyon has also won a record seven Trophée des Champions, five Coupe de France titles and three Ligue 2 Championships.

Lyon has participated in the UEFA Champions League 12 times, and during the 2009–10 season, reached the semi-finals of the competition for the first time after three previous quarter-final appearances. Olympique Lyonnais plays its home matches at the 40,500-seat Stade de Gerland in Lyon. In 2015/2016, their new stadium will be ready, tentatively named OL Land, in Décines-Charpieu, a suburb of Lyon. The club's home colours are white, red and blue. Lyon was a member of the G14 group of leading European football clubs and are founder members of its successor, the European Club Association.

En Avant de Guingamp

En Avant de Guingamp Côtes-d'Armor (Breton: War-raok Gwengamp; commonly referred to as EA Guingamp, EAG, or simply Guingamp) is a French association football club based in the commune of Guingamp. The club was founded in 1912 and currently play in Ligue 1, the top level of French football, having won promotion from Ligue 2 following the 2012–13 season. Guingamp plays its home matches at the Stade du Roudourou located within the city. The club's status as a professional club is atypical with the club playing in a commune of 7,280 inhabitants, with a stadium capable of holding upwards of 18,000 spectators.

However having remained amateur for a long time, playing within the regional leagues, the club got promoted 3 times under the presidency of Noël Le Graët, who took over in 1972. In 1976, Guingamp reached the Third Division (now called Championnat National), and the next season went straight into the Second Division (now called Ligue 2), where they stayed until 1993. The club adopted professional status in 1984, and in 1990 the Stade du Roudourou was opened, hosting Paris Saint-Germain in its first match. The club's first major honour was winning the Coupe de France in 2009; in the process becoming the second team to win the competition from outside Ligue 1. The team defeated Derby Breton rivals Rennes 2–1 in the final. Also, in 2014, En Avant de Guingamp beat Stade Rennais F.C. 2–0 at the Stade de France. Aside from two years of Coupe de France triumph, the club's other success was winning the 1996 UEFA Intertoto Cup

Toulouse FC

Toulouse Football Club, also known simply as Toulouse (familiarly as TFC), is a French association football club based in the city of Toulouse. The club was founded in 1970 and currently plays in Ligue 1, the top level of French football. Toulouse plays its home matches at the Stadium Municipal located within the city. The first team is managed by former club player Dominique Arribage and captained by midfielder Jean-Daniel Akpa-Akpro.

Les Pitchouns have won 3 Ligue 2 and 1 Coupe de France. Toulouse have participated in European competition five times. In 2008, the club, among celebratory fanfare, qualified for the UEFA Champions League for the first time in its history and, in the following season, played in the inaugural edition of the UEFA Europa League.

Toulouse is presided over by the French businessman Olivier Sadran, who took over the club following its bankruptcy in 2001 which resulted in it being relegated to the Championnat National. The club has served as a springboard for several players, most notably the World Cup-winning goalkeeper Fabien Barthez and international striker André-Pierre Gignac.

Lyonnais

The Lyonnais is a historical province of France which owes its name to the city of Lyon.

The geographical area known as the Lyonnais became part of the Kingdom of Burgundy after the division of the Carolingian Empire. The disintegration of Imperial control, especially after the fall of the Hohenstaufens in 1254, led to French encroachment and eventual acquisition by King Philip IV of France in 1313. Lyonnais now often simply refers to the area around the city of Lyon.

The local speech-form known as Lyonnais is a dialect of the Arpitan language that is spoken in the region.

External links

Media related to Lyonnais at Wikimedia Commons