French League 1 Live Online

Ligue 1 (Première division or Division 1 until 2003, now called Ligue 1 Orange) is the top division of French and Monegasque football, one of two divisions making up the LFP, the other being Ligue 2. From the very beginning Ligue 1 was all-professional except for the 1943-44 season, during which the Vichy regime abolished professionalism. Since the end of World War II, the French first division has changed the competition 18- and a 20- team format, the latter being in force today and having the
preference of clubs in spite of a busier schedule for the players.

The 20 Ligue 1 teams play each other twice (home and away) during the season for a 38-match schedule. At the end of the season, the last three teams in the division are moved to Ligue 2, and the top three teams of Ligue 2 come to the Ligue 1.

Currently, the top three teams in Ligue 1 qualify for the Champions League, with the top two proceeding directly to the group phase. The third-placed team enters in the final qualifying round. The fourth- and fifth-placed teams qualify for the UEFA Cup. The sixth- and seventh-placed teams can also qualify, depending on results in the two domestic cup competitions.

Point allocation follows the international standard. The three-point rule was adopted in 1994 after a one-time test in the 1988-89 season. From 1973 to 1976, a “bonus” rule rewarded teams scoring three or more goals in a game with one extra point, regardless of outcome, with the objective of encouraging offensive play. But this practice was not successful.

Ligue 1 teams standing on equal points are ranked by goal difference. Until 1966, the league used goal average (the ratio of goals scored to goals conceded) instead of goal difference to break ties on points.

Ligue 1 is generally regarded as competently run, with good planning of fixtures, complete and consistently enforced rules, timely resolution of issues, and adequate escalation procedures of judicial disputes to national or international institutions. It has faced three significant corruption scandals in its history (Olympique d’Antibes in 1933, Red Star in the 1950s, and Olympique de Marseille in 1993) and has preserved its reputation every time through swift and appropriately severe punishment of the guilty parties.

Ligue 1 is also often criticized (including in France itself) as displaying too much defensive play and lacking entertainment values.

Current Teams (2008-2009)

• Auxerre
• Bordeaux
• Caen
• Grenoble Foot 38
• Le Havre AC
• Le Mans
• Lille
• Lorient
• Lyonnais
• Marseille
• Monaco
• Nancy
• Nantes
• Nice
• Paris Saint-Germain
• Rennes
• Saint-Étienne
• Sochaux
• Toulouse
• Valenciennes

Records

Club

• Most titles: AS Saint-Étienne, 10
• Most consecutive titles: Lyon
  (2002-2008), 7
• Longest unbeaten record within a single season:
  Nantes, 32 matches (1994-1995)
• Longest unbeaten home record: Nantes,
  92 matches, between May 15, 1976
  and April 7, 1981
• Most wins in a season: 26 for Reims
  (1959-60), Monaco (1960-61), Nantes
  (1965-66, 1979-80) for a 20-team league; 25 for Saint-Étienne (1969-70)
  for an 18-team league
• Most home victories in a season: 19 for
  Saint-Étienne (1974-75)
• Most away victories in a season: 12 for
  Saint-Étienne (1969-70) Lyon (2005-2006) and Marseille (1971-72)
• Fewest losses in a season: 1 for Nantes
  (1994-95)
• Most seasons in top-flight: Sochaux, 57
  seasons
  (including 2005-2006)
• Most consecutive seasons in top-flight:
  Nantes,
  44 seasons (1963-2007)
• Highest-scoring season: 1946-47 (1,344
  goals, average: 3.51
  per match) for a 20-team league; 1948-49 (1,138 goals, average: 3.71
  per match) for an 18-team league
• Highest-scoring team in a season:
  1959-60 RC
  Paris, 118 goals, in 20-team format; 1948-49 Lille,
  102 goals, in 18-team format
• Best defense in a season: 1991-92
  Marseille, 21 goals
  conceded
• Best goal difference in a season:
  1959-60 Reims,
  +63, 20-team format; 1948-49 Lille,
  +62, 18-team format
• Biggest win: 12-1, Sochaux v.
  Valenciennes, 1935-36
• Season with most yellow cards: 2002-03
  (1,654)
• Season with most red cards: 2002-2003
  (131)
• Most red cards in a season :
  1998-99 Bastia, 2002-03 PSG,
  and 2003-04 Lens, 13
• Most matches for a coach : Guy
  Roux, Auxerre (1961-2000,2001-2005)
  890 matches
• Highest overall attendance :
  8,086,774 in 2004-2005 (20 clubs)
• Highest average attendance :
  23,154 per match in 2000-2001 (18 clubs)
• Highest daily attendance for a single game day :
  281,000, Day 33, 1997-1998 (28,100 per match)
• Highest single attendance :
  77,840, Lille-Lyon, 2007-2008 (Match
  played at the Stade de France)

Players

Top Ten Players With Most Appearances
Player		Period	Club	Games
1	Jean-Luc Ettori	1975-1994	AS Monaco	602
2	Dominique Dropsy	1972-1989	US Valenciennes, RC Strasbourg, Girondins de Bordeaux	596
3	Dominique Baratelli	1967-1985	AS Monaco, OGC Nice, Paris Saint Germain	593
4	Alain Giresse	1970-1988	Girondins de Bordeaux	586
5	Sylvain Kastendeuch	1982-2001	FC Metz	577
6	Patrick Battiston	1973-1991	Girondins de Bordeaux	558
7	Jacky Novi	1964-1980	Olympique de Marseille	545
8	Roger Marche	1944-1962	Stade de Reims	542
9	Jean-Paul Bertrand-Demanes	1969-1988	FC Nantes	532
-	Henri Michel	1966-1982	FC Nantes	532

Top Ten Highest Goalscorers
Player		Period	Club	Goals
1	Delio Onnis	1971-1986	AS Monaco	299
2	Bernard Lacombe	1969-1987	Olympique Lyonnais	255
3	Hervé Revelli	1965-1978	AS Saint-Étienne	216
4	Thadée Cisowski	1947-1961	RC Paris	206
5	Roger Piantoni	1950-1966	Stade de Reims	203
6	Roger Courtois	1932-1956	FC Sochaux-Montbéliard	193
7	Joseph Ujlaki	1947-1964	RC Paris	189
8	Fleury Di Nallo	1960-1975	Olympique Lyonnais	187
9	Carlos Bianchi	1973-1980	Stade de Reims	179
-	Gunnar Andersson	1950-1960	Olympique de Marseille	179

Other records

• Most titles : Sidney Govou,
  Grégory Coupet, Juninho (Olympique
  Lyonnais): (2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008) Jean-Michel
  Larqué and Hervé Revelli of Saint-Étienne, 7 times
  champions (1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1974, 1975, 1976)
• Most consecutive minutes without conceding :
  Jérémie Janot, AS Saint-Étienne, 1276
  minutes without conceding in 2005-2006
• Goals in single season : Josip
  Skoblar, Marseille, 44
  (1970-1971)
  • Each season: See Top goalscorers in
    Ligue 1
• Goals in single match : 7 ,
  Jean Nicolas, Rouen,
  1938 against Valenciennes; André Abegglen (Sochaux) 1935
  against Valenciennes
• Most games scored in a row :
  Vahid
  Halilhodzic (Nantes)
  9 matches in a row – 1984-1985
• Most red cards : Cyril
  Rool : 19 (as of
  end of 2005-2006)
• Youngest player : Laurent
  Paganelli, Saint-Étienne 15 years 10
  months
• Youngest to score a hat trick :
  Jérémy Menez, Sochaux January 22, 2005
  against Bordeaux – 17
  years 8 months 15 days