Racing Club de France Football (French pronunciation:[ʁasiŋklœbdəfʁɑ̃s], also known as Racing Paris, RCF Paris, Matra Racing, Racing Club, or Racing) 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 club's football section was not founded until 1896. The team plays in the Championnat National 2, the fourth level of French football. Racing is managed by Guillaume Norbert and hosts its home matches at the Stade Lucien-Choine, a smaller stadium next to the Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir in Colombes.[1][2]
Racing Club de France, founded in 1882, was a founding member of Ligue 1. The club has won one Ligue 1 title (in 1935–36) and five Coupe de France titles (currently the joint fourth-highest total). 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. The club holds the Ligue 1 record for most goals scored during a 38-match season with 118 goals in 1959–60.
During the 1900 Summer Olympics, Racing Club de France hosted the athletics events at Croix-Catelan Stadium (the club's previous home).[3] 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 (with Paris Saint-Germain). 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 (incurring a debt of more than four million francs) 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.[4] 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.[5] 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. The club achieved promotion in the 2021–22 Championnat National 3 season to reach Championnat National 2 where they currently compete in Group A.
For the 2023–24 season, RC France will play their matches at Stade Alphonse Le Gallo due to the renovation of their original home ground, Stade Yves du Manoir.
Despite the first half of the 2023–24 were positive for Racing, the second half of the 2023–24 is extremely negative for the club, Racing lost almost his matches before being relegated to Champonnat National 3 despite a 4–3 win against FC Borgo,[6] however they were given a reprieve due to administrative relegations from other sides so they were not relegated.[7]
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.
^Bouchacourt, Jérome (19 June 2024). "Le point sur les repêchages en National 2 et National 3 (19 juin)". footamateur.ouest-france.fr (in French). Retrieved 19 June 2024. As of 09:00, Sunday, November 3, 2024 (UTC), Libourne and Cholet were administrely relegated, netting a reprievement of Haguenau et Olympique de Saumur
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Pierre Allemane
Youssef Darbaki
Sonny Silooy
Halim Benmabrouk
Arne Larsen Økland
Eugène Ekéké
Rodolphe Hiden
Joseph Ujlaki
Pierre Littbarski
Vahap Özaltay
Enzo Francescoli
Miloš Milutinović
Albert Guðmundsson
(in French)
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