OGC Nice

OGC Nice

Full name	Olympique Gymnaste Club de Nice-Côte d'Azur
Nickname(s)	Les Aiglons, Le Gym, I'OGCN
Founded	1904
Ground	Stade Municipal du Ray, Nice (Capacity: 17,415)
Chairman	Maurice Cohen
Manager	René Marsiglia
League	Ligue 1
2010–11	17th
Website	Club home page
Home colours Away colours

Olympique Gymnaste Club Nice Côte d'Azur (French pronunciation: [ɔlɛ̃pik simnast nis kot da'zyʁ]; commonly referred to as OGC Nice or simply Nice) is a French association football club based in Nice. The club was founded in 1904 and currently plays in Ligue 1, the top-tier of French football. Nice plays its home matches at the Stade Municipal du Ray located within the city. In 2013, the club is scheduled to move into a new stadium, tentatively named Grand Stade Nice.^[1] Nice is managed by the club's technical director René Marsiglia and captained by midfielder Didier Digard.

Nice was founded under the name Gymnaste Club de Nice and is one of the founding members of the first division of French football. Along with Marseille, Montpelllier, Rennes, and Sochaux, Nice is the only club to have played in the inaugural 1932–33 season and still be playing in the first division as of today. The club has won Ligue 1 four times and the Coupe de France three times. Nice achieved most of its honours in the 1950s with the club being managed by coaches such as Numa Andoire, Englishman William Berry, and Jean Luciano. The club's last honour was winning the Coupe de France in 1997 after beating Guingamp 4–3 on penalties in the final. Nice's colors are red and black.

During the club's successful run in the 1950s, Nice were among the first French clubs to successfully integrate internationals players into the fold. Notable players include Argentines Hector De Bourgoing and Pancho González, Luxembourger Victor Nurenberg, and Spaniard Joaquin Valle. Valle is the club's all-time leading goalscorer and, arguably, the club's greatest player.^[2]

History

Olympique Gymnaste Club Nice Côte d'Azur was founded in the residential district of Les Baumettes on 9 July 1904 under the name Gymnaste Club de Nice. The club was founded by Marquis de Massengy d'Auzac, who served as president of the Fédération Sportive des Alpes-Maritimes (English: Alpes-Maritimes Sporting Federation). Akin to its name, the club primarily focused on the sports of gymnastics and athletics. On 6 July 1908, in an effort to remain affiliate with the FSAM and also join the amateur federation USFSA, the head of French football at the time, Gymnaste Club de Nice split into two sections with the new section of the club being named Gymnastes Amateurs Club de Nice. The new section spawned a football club and, after two seasons, the two clubs merged together. On 20 September 1919, Nice merged with local club Gallia Football Athlétic Club and, subsequently, adopted the club's red and black combination. In 1920, the club was playing in the Ligue du Sud-Est, a regional league under the watch of the French Football Federation. While playing in the league, Nice developed rivalries with Cannes and Marseille. Nice and Cannes contest the derby match that is known as the Derby de la Côte d'Azur. On 22 December 1924, the club changed its name to Olympique Gymnaste Club de Nice.

In July 1930, the National Council of the French Football Federation voted 128–20 in support of professionalism in French football. Nice, along with most clubs from the south, were among the first clubs to adopt the new statute and, subsequently, became professional and were founding members of the new league. In the league's inaugural season, Nice finished 7th in its group. In the following season, Nice finished 13th and were relegated from the league. The club did not play league football in the ensuing season and returned to French football in 1936 playing in Division 2. Nice spent the next three years playing in the second division. In 1939, professional football in France was abolished due to World War II. Despite this, Nice continued to play league football under amateur status with the club participating in the Ligue du Sud-Est in 1939 and the Ligue du Sud in the following seasons.

After the war, Nice returned to professional status and were inserted back into the second division. The club achieved promotion back to the first division for the 1948–49 season under the leadership of the Austrian manager Anton Marek. After two seasons of finishing in the top ten, Nice, now led by manager Jean Lardi, achieved its first-ever honour by winning the league title in the 1950–51 season. Led by French internationals Marcel Domingo, Antoine Bonifaci, Abdelaziz Ben Tifour and Jean Courteaux, as well as the Argentine duo of Pancho González and Luis Carniglia and the Swede Pär Bengtsson, Nice won the league despite finishing equal on points with Lille. Nice were declared champions due to having more wins (18) than Lille (17).^[3] In the following season, under new manager Numa Andoire, Nice won the double after winning both the league and the Coupe de France. In the league, the club defended its title by holding off both Bordeaux and Lille. In the Coupe de France final, Nice faced Bordeaux and defeated the Aquitaine club 5–3 courtesy of goals from five different players.

Nice continued its solid run in the decade by winning the Coupe de France for the second time in 1954. The club, now being led by a young and unknown Just Fontaine, faced southern rivals Marseille and earned a 2–1 victory with Victor Nuremberg and Carniglia scoring the goals. Carniglia retired from football after the season and began managing Nice. In his first season in charge, Nice won the league for a third time after being chased for the entire season by rivals Marseille and Monaco, as well as Lens and Saint-Étienne. After the campaign, Fontaine departed the club for Stade Reims. Three seasons later, Nice won the last title of the decade in 1959. The club finished the decade (1950–1959) with four league titles and two Coupe de France trophies. Nice also appeared in European competition for the first time in the 1956–57 season with the club losing to Real Madrid in the quarter-finals

Frédéric Antonetti led Nice to the 2006 Coupe de la Ligue final.

In subsequent decades, Nice struggled to equal the success of the 1950s with Reims and, later Saint-Étienne eclipsing the club in the 1960s and 70s. During this time, Nice regularly competed in Division 1 with the exception of two seasons in Division 2 in 1965 and 1970. In 1973 and 1976, Nice achieved a 2nd place finish in the league, its best finish since winning the league in 1959. However, following the latter finish, the club finished in lower positions in the next six seasons and were, ultimately, relegated in the 1981–82 season after finishing 19th. Nice played three seasons in the second division before returning to top flight in 1985. After six seasons a mid-table finishes, Nice was back in Division 2.

In 1997, Nice, now back in the first division, stunned many when the club won the Coupe de France. The victory did not, however, shock most French football enthusiasts mainly due to the club's competition in the run up to the final, in which Nice faced only Division 2 clubs, excluding first division club SC Bastia. In the final, Nice defeated Guingamp 5–4 on penalties to earn cup success. However, on a sourer note, Nice were relegated from the first division only days after winning the Coupe de France in dead last in the league. The club spent five seasons in Ligue 2 and returned to Ligue 1 for the 2001–02 season. In the lead up to the season, Nice failed to meet the financial requirements set by the DNCG and were, subsequently, relegated to the Championnat National, the third level of French football. However, after achieving stability, mainly due to selling a few players, Nice were allowed in Ligue 1 after successfully appealing. In the 2005–06 season, Nice made it to the final of the Coupe de la Ligue in 2006 losing to Nancy 2–1.

Stadium

Match at the Stade du Ray between Marseille and Nice.

Nice plays its home matches at the Stade Municipal du Ray, usually shortened to simply the Stade du Ray. The stadium is, however, officially known as the Stade Léo-Lagrange, a French politician who had a stint in politics as the Assistant Secretary of State for Sport. The Stade du Ray has gone through many renovations, most recently being in 1997 and has a capacity of 17,415. The stadium is popular with supporters for being located in the center of the city, but suffers from its old structure and small capacity with the city of Nice having a population of around 350,000.

Nice has been in the process of attempting to build a new stadium since 2002. In its first attempt, the club was heavily criticize by local politicians who questioned the usefulness and format of the stadium. However, despite the critics, the club's proposition passed and excavation of the site in the plain of Var, at Nice-Lingostière, was set to begin in July 2006. The Tribunal administratif of Nice cancelled the project for irregularities committed concerning the fixation of the price of tickets. In October 2008, the new Deputy Mayor of Nice Christian Estrosi declared that Nice would have a new stadium "no later than 2013". The new stadium should be built at the same place than before, at Nice-Lingostière. On 22 September 2009, French newspaper L'Équipe reported that the Grand Stade Nice had been selected by the French Football Federation as one of the twelve stadiums to be used in the country's bidding for UEFA Euro 2016. The FFF officially made its selections on 11 November 2009 and the city of Nice was selected as a site to host matches during the tournament.^[4]

Players

Current squad

As of 24 August, 2011.^[5]

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

No. Position Player 1 GK David Ospina 2 DF Renato Civelli 4 DF Nemanja Pejčinović 5 DF Kévin Gomis 6 MF Didier Digard (captain) 7 MF Fabrice Abriel 8 MF David Hellebuyck 9 FW Xavier Pentecôte 10 MF Camel Meriem 11 FW Eric Mouloungui 14 MF Emerse Faé 15 MF Kafoumba Coulibaly 16 GK Raúl Fernández

No. Position Player 18 DF Luciano Monzón 19 FW Franck Dja Djedje 20 FW Abraham Guie Gneki 21 MF Lloyd Palun 22 DF Kévin Malaga 23 MF Drissa Diakité 24 FW Esmaël Gonçalves 25 DF Larrys Mabiala 26 FW Anthony Mounier 27 MF Julien Sablé 29 DF François Clerc 30 GK Lucas Veronese

Out on loan

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

No. Position Player 20 MF Mahamane Traoré (at Metz until the end of the 2011–12 Ligue 2 season) 24 DF Julien Berthomier (at Red Star until the end of the 2011–12 Championnat National season)

Reserve squad

As of 10 January 2011^[6]

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

No. Position Player GK Nicolas Roque GK Maxime Schenkel GK Lucas Veronese DF Sophiane Ben Haddad DF Mickaël Karakoglu DF Yann Mariotti DF Moussa M'Bow DF Maxime Silvestri MF Stéphan Dada MF Hichem Ferreri MF Cyril Hennion MF Tarik Jaziri

No. Position Player MF Vincent Le Roux MF Mourad Mathlouti MF Lorry Mengual MF Félix Van Hult MF Maxime Verdier FW Ludovic Agrati FW Jordan Astier FW Stéphane Bahoken FW Loïc Gagnon FW Esmaël Goncalves FW Serge Nyuiadzi

Notable former players

Below are the notable former players who have represented Nice in league and international competition since the club's foundation in 1904. To appear in the section below, a player must have played in at least 100 official matches for the club.

For a complete list of OGC Nice players, see Category:OGC Nice players

Marcel Aubour Dominique Baratelli Daniel Bravo André Chorda José Cobos Carlos Curbelo Héctor De Bourgoing Olivier Echouafni Koczur Ferry Jacques Foix Just Fontaine Jean-Marc Guillou Jean-Noël Huck Roger Jouve

Jean Luciano Hugo Lloris Charly Loubet Marc Molitor Joseph Ujlaki Ederson Bakari Koné Victor Nurenberg Cédric Kanté Josep Samitier Joaquin Valle Leif Eriksson Nenad Bjeković Josip Katalinski

Management and staff

Club officials

Senior club staff^[7]

• President: Gilbert Stellardo
• General Director: Patrick Governatori
• Assistant General Director: Eric Dellacasa
• Executive Director: Pascale Marrel
• Commercial Director: Frédéric Larue
• Communications Director: Virginie Rossetti
• Merchandising Director: Frédéric Mattéi
• Security Director: André Bloch
• Technical Director: René Marsiglia

Coaching and medical staff

• Manager: René Marsiglia
• Assistant Coach: Frédéric Gioria
• Goalkeeper Coach: Bruno Valencony
• Fitness Coach: Roger Propos
• Kinesiotherapy: Philippe Boulon & Rémi Garcia
• Doctor: Jean-Philippe Gilardi

Managerial history

Dates[8] Name 1932–1933 Jim McDewitt 1933–1934 Bell, Kramer, & Tandler 1935–1937 Emmanuel Levy 1937 Karel Kudrna 1937–1938 Ricardo Zamora 1938–1939 Josep Samitier 1945–1946 Luis Valle 1946 Maurice Castro 1946–1947 Jean Lardi 1947–1949 Anton Marek 1949–1950 Emile Veinante 1950 Ely Rous 1950–1951 Jean Lardi 1951–1952 Numa Andoire 1952–1953 Mario Zatelli 1953–1955 William Berry 1955–1957 Luis Carniglia 1957–1962 Jean Luciano 1962–1964 Numa Andoire 1964–1969 Pancho González 1969–1971 Léon Rossi 1971–1974 Jean Snella 1974–1976 Vlatko Marković 1976–1977 Jean-Marc Guillou 1977–1978 Léon Rossi

Dates Name 1978–1979 Koczur Ferry 1979 Albert Batteux 1979–1980 Léon Rossi 1980–1981 Vlatko Marković 1981–1982 Marcel Domingo 1982–1987 Jean Sérafin 1987–1989 Nenad Bjekovic 1989 Pierre Alonzo 1989–1990 Carlos Bianchi 1990 Jean Fernandez 1990–1992 Jean-Noël Huck 1992–1996 Albert Emon 1996 Daniel Sanchez 1996–1997 Silvester Takač 1997–1998 Michel Renquin 1998 Silvester Takač 1998–1999 Victor Zvunka 1999–2000 Guy David 2000–2002 Sandro Salvioni 2002–2005 Gernot Rohr 2005 Gérard Buscher 2005–2009 Frédéric Antonetti 2009–2010 Didier Ollé-Nicolle 2010–2011 Éric Roy 2011–present René Marsiglia

Honours

Domestic

• Ligue 1
  • Champions (4): 1951, 1952, 1956, 1959

• Ligue 2
  • Champions (4): 1948, 1965, 1970, 1994

• Division 3
  • Champions (2): 1985, 1989

• Coupe de France
  • Champions (3): 1952, 1954, 1997
  • Runners-Up (1): 1978

• Coupe de la Ligue
  • Runners-Up (1): 2006

• Coupe Charles Drago
  • Runners-Up (1): 1958

• Championnat de France 18 ans
  • Champions (1): 2004

Other

• Latin Cup
  • Runners-Up (1): 1952

• Coupe Mohamed V
  • Runners-Up (1): 1976

References

1. ^ "New Nice stadium to be finished by 2013". ESPN. 21 October 2008. http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=584083&sec=europe&cc=5901. Retrieved 10 January 2011. 
2. ^ "Joaquin Valle Benitez: 339 buts en 407 matchs avec le Gym" (in French). OGC Nice. http://www.ogcnice.com/histoire/grand_joueur.php?id=3. Retrieved 10 January 2011. 
3. ^ "Champion de France 1951" (in French). OGC Nice. http://www.ogcnice.com/histoire/champions_1951.php. Retrieved 10 January 2011. 
4. ^ "Les 12 villes retenues". French Football Federation. http://www.fff.fr/common/bib_res/ressources/420000/6500/100217145131_synthese.PDF. Retrieved 11 Jnaury 2011. 
5. ^ "Equipe Pro" (in French). OGC Nice. http://www.ogcnice.com/equipes/. Retrieved 10 January 2011. 
6. ^ "Equipe CFA2". OGC Nice. http://www.ogcnice.com/equipes/cfa2.php. Retrieved 10 January 2011. 
7. ^ "Club". OGC Nice. http://www.ogcnice.com/club/. Retrieved 10 January 2011. 
8. ^ "France – Trainers of First and Second Division Clubs". RSSSF. http://www.rsssf.com/players/trainers-fran-clubs.html#n. Retrieved 10 January 2011. 

External links

• OGC Nice official site (French)