Toulouse FC

Toulouse Football Club is a French professional football club based in Toulouse. The club was founded in 1937 and currently plays in Ligue 2, the second division of French football. Toulouse plays its home matches at the Stadium de Toulouse located within the city.

This article is about the men's football club. For the women's football team, see Toulouse FC (women).

Toulouse
Full nameToulouse Football Club
Nickname(s)"Les Violetttes" (The Violets)
Short nameTFC
Founded1937 (1937)
GroundStadium de Toulouse
Capacity33,150
PresidentOlivier Sadran
Head coachPatrice Garande
LeagueLigue 2
2019–20Ligue 1, 20th (relegated)
WebsiteClub website

Les Pitchouns have won Ligue 2 on three occasions.[1] Toulouse have participated in European competition five times, including in 2007 when they qualified for the UEFA Champions League for the first time.[2]

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.[3]

History

The city was left without a big side in 1967 when Toulouse FC sold its players and place in the French top flight to Paris outfit Red Star, but three years later a new club, Union Sportive Toulouse, rose from the ashes. Adopting red and yellow jerseys, the club started out in Ligue 2 and in 1979 reclaimed the name Toulouse FC. Now wearing purple and white, Les Pitchouns gained top-flight promotion in 1982. A side containing Jacques Santini and Swiss forward Daniel Jeandupeux earned a penalty shoot-out victory against Diego Maradona's Napoli in the 1986–87 UEFA Cup, Toulouse's maiden European campaign.

Toulouse fans celebrate qualifying for the 2007–08 UEFA Champions League

After goalkeeper Fabien Barthez made his breakthrough and moved on, Toulouse were relegated in 1994. They subsequently bounced back and forth between Ligues 1 and 2 before slipping to the third flight in 2001 after financial problems. Toulouse were back in the top flight two seasons later, and in 2007 they finished third to earn a place in the 2007–08 UEFA Champions League third qualifying round. There, Liverpool overpowered them 5–0 on aggregate.[2]

In 2008–09, Toulouse finished fourth in the Ligue 1 table with 64 points, and secured a spot in the new Europa League, while André-Pierre Gignac led all scorers in Ligue 1 with 24 goals and was awarded a call-up to the French national team.[3]

In the 2015–16 Ligue 1 season, Toulouse avoided relegation to Ligue 2 in the last game of the season. With 12 minutes to go, Toulouse were behind to Angers 2–1 and needed a win to survive, and scored two late goals and win the match 3–2.[4] Two years later, they finished 18th and won the promotion/relegation playoff 4-0 on aggregate against Ligue 2's AC Ajaccio.[5]

On 6 January 2020, Toulouse dismissed manager Antoine Kombouaré following the club's 1–0 loss to Championnat National 2 side Saint-Pryvé Saint-Hilaire FC in the Coupe de France. Under Kombouaré the club had lost ten matches in a row, leading him to be dismissed and replaced by Denis Zanko.[6] On 30 April that year, Toulouse were relegated to Ligue 2 after the LFP elected to end the season early due to the coronavirus pandemic.[7]

Name changes
  • Union Sportive Toulouse (1970–79)
  • Toulouse Football Club (1977–current)

Stadium
Main article: Stadium de Toulouse

Toulouse play their home matches at the Stadium de Toulouse. Built in 1937, the stadium presently has a capacity of 33,150. The stadium was used as a venue for the 1998 FIFA World Cup, 2007 Rugby Union World Cup and UEFA Euro 2016.

Colours

The violet is a reference to one of two Toulouse nicknames: la Cité des violettes (the City of Violets), the second one being la Ville rose (the Pink City), which explains the colour of former alternate jerseys.[2] The team's logo displays the gold and blood-red Occitan cross, the symbol of Occitania, of which Toulouse is a historical capital.[3]

Club rivalries

Derby de la Garonne
Main article: Derby de la Garonne

The Derby de la Garonne is a derby match between Girondins de Bordeaux and Toulouse. The derby derives from the fact that Bordeaux and Toulouse are the two major clubs that play in cities that situate themselves along the Garonne River. The consistency and competitiveness of the rivalry developed following Toulouse's return to Ligue 1 after being administratively relegated to the Championnat National in 2001.[8]

Players

Current squad
As of 1 February 2020.[9]

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

No. Position Player
1 GK Mauro Goicoechea
2 DF Kelvin Amian
4 DF Ruben Gabrielsen
5 DF Steven Moreira
7 FW Max Gradel (captain)
9 FW Yaya Sanogo
10 FW Aaron Leya Iseka
11 MF Quentin Boisgard
12 DF Issiaga Sylla
13 DF Mathieu Gonçalves
14 MF Mathieu Dossevi (vice-captain)
15 DF Nicolas Isimat-Mirin (on loan from Beşiktaş)
17 MF Ibrahim Sangaré
18 DF Agustín Rogel
19 DF Bafodé Diakité
No. Position Player
20 FW Efthymis Koulouris
21 MF William Vainqueur (on loan from Antalyaspor)
22 FW Stéphane Zobo
23 DF Moussa Diarra
25 FW Wesley Saïd
26 MF Kalidou Sidibé
27 MF Jean-Victor Makengo (on loan from Nice)
28 FW Janis Antiste
29 MF Nathan Ngoumou
30 GK Baptiste Reynet
31 MF Amine Adli
32 FW Adil Taoui
33 DF Anthony Rouault
34 MF Kouadio Koné
40 GK Lovre Kalinić (on loan from Aston Villa)

Out on loan

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

No. Position Player
— MF John Bostock (on loan at Nottingham Forest)
— FW Corentin Jean (on loan at Lens)
No. Position Player
— FW Ndombe Mubele (on loan at Astana)

Reserve squad
As of 27 August 2019[10]

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

No. Position Player
— DF Paul Cachart
— DF Paul Fargeas
— DF Moussa Kamara
No. Position Player
— MF Sam Sanna
— MF Seiti Touré
— FW Driss Khalid

Honours
As of 21 August 2013.[1]

Domestic

Club officials

The Board
President Olivier Sadran
Association President José Da Silva
Manager Patrice Garande
Academy Director Rémy Loret

Source: LFP.fr

Managers

See also

References
  1. "Toulouse football club". LFP. Retrieved 21 August 2013.
  2. "Toulouse FC". UEFA. 18 February 2011. Retrieved 21 August 2013.
  3. "Wiki". TFC.info. Retrieved 21 August 2013.
  4. Bairner, Robin (14 May 2016). "Extra-Time: Toulouse troll Domino's Pizza after relegation escape". Goal.com. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  5. "Toulouse confirm Ligue 1 survival". Ligue1.com. 27 May 2018. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  6. "TOULOUSE SACK KOMBOUARÉ". www.ligue1.com.
  7. "Amiens and Toulouse relegation confirmed after clubs vote for 20-team Ligue 1". BBC Sport. 27 June 2020. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  8. "Didot-Gourcuff, le duel breton du derby de la Garonne" (in French). Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 5 March 2009. Retrieved 6 August 2010.
  9. "Effectif pro". tfc.info. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
  10. "Efeectif national 3" (in French). Toulouse FC. Retrieved 23 March 2019.

Further reading
  • Toulouse Football Club, de 1937 à nos jours, de Jean-Louis Berho et Didier Pitorre, avec la collaboration de Jean-Paul Cazeneuve et Jérôme Leclerc (Éditions Universelles)
  • La Grande Histoire du TFC, de Nicolas Bernard (Éditions Universelles)
  • TouFoulCan, la Bande-dessinée qui supporte le Toulouse Football Club.
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