Racing Club de France Football


Racing Club de France Football is a French association football club based in Colombes, a suburb of Paris.
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.
Racing Club de France, founded in 1882, was a founding member of Ligue 1. The club has won one Ligue 1 title 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 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

During the 1900 Summer Olympics, Racing Club de France hosted the athletics events at Croix-Catelan Stadium. 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. 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 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. 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. 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

Current squad

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.
YearName
1932–1933Curtis Booth
1933–1934Peter Farmer
1934–1935Jimmy Hogan
1935–1939George Kimpton
1939–1940Elie Rous
1940–1943Émile Veinante
1943–1944Robert Fischer
1944–1952Paul Baron
1952Auguste Listello
1952–1958Auguste Jordan
1958–1964Pierre Pibarot
1964André Jeampierre
1964–1965Paul Baron
1965–1966Lucien Troupel
1970–1975Paul Jurilli
1978–1982Jean-Marie Lawniczak

YearName
1982–1984Alain De Martigny
1984–1986Victor Zvunka
1986Silvester Takač
1986–1987Victor Zvunka
1987–1988Artur Jorge
1988–1989René Hauss
1989–1990Henryk Kasperczak
1990–1992Luc Bruder
1992–1993Camille Choquier
1993–2000Jean-Marie Lawniczak
2000–2002Jean-Michel Cavalli
2002Régis Roche
2002–2004Jean-Guy Wallemme
2004–2005Stéphane Paille
2008–2010Ali Tabti
2010–presentAzzedine Meguellatti

Honours