Le Havre AC

Le Havre Athletic Club (French pronunciation: ​[lə ɑvʁ]; commonly referred to as Le Havre) is a French association football club based in Le Havre, Normandy. The club was founded as an athletics and rugby club in 1872,[3] making Le Havre AC the oldest professional French football club.

Le Havre
Full nameHavre Athletic Club
Nickname(s)Le club doyen (The Dean Club)
Les Ciel et Marine (The Sky-and-Navy)[1]
Founded1872 (1872)
GroundStade Océane,
Le Havre
Capacity25,181[2]
PresidentVincent Volpe
Head coachPaul Le Guen
LeagueLigue 2
2020–21Ligue 2, 12th of 20
WebsiteClub website
HAC in Tournoi de paques 1913

Le Havre is one of the oldest French football clubs, but the oldest is Standard Athletic Club of Paris.[4][5][6] Le Havre plays in Ligue 2, the second tier of French football, and plays its home matches at the Stade Océane.

Le Havre made its football debut in France's first-ever championship in 1899 and, on its debut, became the first French club outside Paris to win the league. The club won the league the following season in 1900. Le Havre has yet to win the current first division of French football, Ligue 1, but has participated in the league 24 times; its last stint being during the 2008–09 season. The club's highest honour to date was winning the Coupe de France in 1959.

The main rivalries of Le Havre are the "Derby Normand" with SM Caen and an always heated clash with Lens, located in the region of Nord-Pas-de-Calais.

History

It was in 1884 that a group of British residents formed Le Havre Athlétique, which played a hybrid form of football, a cross between rugby and association football, called "combination". The oldest French football club is Standard Athletic Club founded by British in Paris.[7]

Association football began being played in Le Havre in 1894.[5][6]

In 1899, Le Havre became the first club from outside Paris to become French football champions. At the time the championship was organised by the USFSA. After being awarded a win over Iris Club Lillois in the semi-final by walkover, they were awarded the title after also receiving a walkover in the final against Club Français.[8] They would also win the following year, with the final being a "re-match" of the forfeited 1899 final.

The club is famous for its notable youth investment program which develops and nurtures young talent, with the vision of using them in the first team if they show enough promise. A vast amount of good young talent has gone on to make an impact at international level including Benjamin Mendy, Ibrahim Ba, Jean-Alain Boumsong, Lassana Diarra, Riyad Mahrez, Steve Mandanda, Vikash Dhorasoo, Paul Pogba and Dimitri Payet.

The club was on the receiving end of some high-profile illegal transfers, by which Charles N'Zogbia, Matthias Lepiller and Paul Pogba were signed by other clubs, allegedly without the proper compensation being paid. The first two were arbitrated by FIFA, who ordered Newcastle United and Fiorentina to pay training compensation.

Club culture

Le Havre is known as 'les ciel et marine' in France, which translates as 'the sky and navy blues'. These colours were chosen by the club's English founders as they were those of their alma maters, the universities of Oxford and Cambridge: the anthem of the club is played to the melody of "God Save the Queen" to mark the English origins of the club:

"A jamais le premier
de tous les clubs français
ô H.A.C.
Fiers de tes origines
Fils d'Oxford et Cambridge
deux couleurs font notre prestige
Ciel et marine!"

English translation:

"The first ever
of all French clubs
The H.A.C
Proud of your roots
Son of Oxford and Cambridge
two colours make our prestige
(the colours of the) sky and the sea!"

Players

Current squad
As of 5 February, 2022.[9]
No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK  FRA Mathieu Gorgelin
2 DF  MAR Abdelwahed Wahib
4 DF  FRA Thierno Baldé (on loan from Paris SG)
5 DF  CGO Fernand Mayembo
6 DF  FRA Isaak Touré
7 MF  FRA Jean-Pascal Fontaine (vice-captain)
8 MF  FRA Himad Abdelli
10 FW  FRA Nabil Alioui
11 FW  FRA Quentin Cornette
12 FW  FRA Matthis Abline (on loan from Rennes)
14 FW  SEN Jamal Thiaré
15 MF  FRA Abdoullah Ba
16 GK  CIV Mohamed Koné
No. Pos. Nation Player
17 MF  FRA Alexandre Bonnet (captain)
18 DF  CGO Nolan Mbemba
19 DF  TUN Ayman Ben Mohamed
20 DF  FRA Ismaël Boura
21 FW  FRA Ylan Gomes
22 MF  ALG Victor Lekhal
23 FW  FRA Josué Casimir
24 MF  FRA Amir Richardson
25 FW  MTN Pape Ibnou Bâ
27 DF  FRA Pierre Gibaud
28 FW  FRA Elies Mahmoud
29 DF  SEN Arouna Sangante
30 GK  FRA Yahia Fofana

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
— DF  TUR Ertuğrul Ersoy (on loan to Gaziantep)

Honours

Managerial history

References
  1. "#35 – Le Havre AC : Ciel et Marine" (in French). Footnickname. 4 May 2020. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
  2. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 7 January 2019. Retrieved 7 January 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. Hernandez, Anthony (15 May 2009). "Avec Louvel". Le Monde.fr – via Le Monde.
  4. "Fédération Française de Football".
  5. Charitas, p. 20
  6. Archives municipales du Fort de Tourneville (Le Havre), statuts du HAC, fonds de Sanvic, R3 1 L.2.
  7. "Fédération Française de Football" (in French). French Football Federation.
  8. "France - List of Champions". www.rsssf.com.
  9. "Effectif". Le Havre AC Official Site. Retrieved 5 March 2019.
  10. "France – Trainers of First and Second Division Clubs on RSSSF". Archived from the original on 31 May 2008. Retrieved 23 July 2007.
  11. "Le Havre : Paul Le Guen manager général et entraîneur (off)" (in French). foot-national.com. 29 May 2019.

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