Cannes
Full nameAssociation Sportive de Cannes Football
Nickname(s)Les Dragons (The Dragons)[1]
Founded1902 (1902)
GroundStade Pierre de Coubertin,
Cannes
Capacity10,000
PresidentAnny Courtade
Head coachJean-Noël Cabezas
LeagueNational 2 Group A
2022–23National 3 Group D, 1st (promoted)
WebsiteClub website

Association Sportive de Cannes Football (French pronunciation: [asɔsjɑsjɔ̃ spɔʁtiv də kan]; commonly referred to as AS Cannes or simply Cannes) is a French association football club based in Cannes. The club was formed 1902 as a sports club and currently plays in the Championnat National 3, the fifth division of French football. In 2023 the club was promoted to Championnat National 2, the fourth division.[2] Cannes plays its home matches at the Stade Pierre de Coubertin, located within the city. The team is managed by Jean-Noël Cabezas.

On June 26, 2023, it was announced that AS Cannes will become part of The Friedkin Group, which also includes AS Roma football club. The Friedkin family will purchase a majority of the club’s shares, and Ryan Friedkin will become the new president of Association Sportive Cannes Football SAS, which will manage the National 2 men’s team. The Sports Association, which is in charge of the women's section and amateurs, will hold 2% ownership and be chaired by Anny Courtade.[3]

Despite playing football on the French Riviera, a popular and relaxing tourist destination, Cannes have had a lackluster existence. The club was one of the founding members of the first division of French football and finished runners-up in the league's inaugural season. The club's highest honour to date was winning the Coupe de France in 1932. Cannes last played in Ligue 1 in the 1997–98 season and are currently serving the longest stint of any club in the National division, having been in the league since the 2001–02 season. The club has most notably served as a springboard for several prominent French football players such as Zinedine Zidane, Patrick Vieira, Johan Micoud, Gaël Clichy, Sébastien Frey and Jonathan Zebina.

Cannes is known as Les Dragons (The Dragons) and incorporates the nickname into a multitude of club's fixtures, most notably its crest. On 21 May 2010, the club unveiled its new logo to its supporters. The new logo is similar to the club's previous logo, but is more dynamic with the club's city name and foundation being displayed on the badge. The dragon, which is a focal point of the club, is also given a more up-to-date design.[4]

History

Cannes and Olympique Lillois in the Coupe de France in 1920.

Association Sportive de Cannes was founded on 4 August 1902 by English sportsman Herbert Lowe and a group of friends. Lowe was installed as the club's president. During the infancy of the club, in addition to association football, Cannes also practised the sports of competitive swimming and athletics. The club also wore a black and blue combination kit before switching to its current red and white stripe following the club's merger with Club Sportif de Cannes in 1905. Under the leadership of Louis Grosso, a local furniture dealer, the football section developed its structures. In 1920, Cannes were playing in the Ligue du Sud-Est, a regional league under the watch of the French Football Federation (FFF). While playing in the league, Cannes developed rivalries with Nice and Marseille. Nice and Cannes contest the derby match that is known as the Derby de la Côte d'Azur. In 1921, the club inaugurated the Stade Municipal de Cannes and celebrated the opening by defeating Spanish club Espanyol 4–0. During the 1920s, Cannes successfully reached the semi-finals of the Coupe de France on two occasions. Led by French internationals such as Maurice Cottenet, Charles Bardot, and Raoul Dutheil, Cannes were regular participants in the latter rounds of the prestigious cup competition. In 1932, the club finally won the competition after defeating RC Roubaix 1–0 at the Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir in Colombes, courtesy of a goal from captain Louis Clerc.

In July 1930, the National Council of the FFF voted 128–20 in support of professionalism in French football. Cannes, 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, Cannes finished runner-up to champions Olympique Lillois after losing 4–3 in the ultimate match on 14 May 1933. Cannes had originally finished second in its group behind Antibes, but were declared champions of the group after Antibes was disqualified from the league for suspected bribery. Cannes remained in Division 1 for a decade before falling to Division 2 in the 1948–49 season after finishing last in the league table.

Cannes returned to the top division for the 1965–66 season and spent an unforgettable campaign in the league finishing second from bottom, thus returning to Division 2. It took another 20 years before the club returned to the first division for the 1987–88 season. During this time, Cannes had a young playmaker by the name of Zinedine Zidane in its ranks. In the club return to the first division, Cannes finished in 11th place. In the ensuing two seasons, Cannes remained mid-table finishing 12th and 11th, respectively. However, in the 1990–91 season, the club surprised everyone by finishing in fourth place, which gave the club qualification for the UEFA Cup. Along with Zidane, PSG loanee striker Amara Simba and the presence of experienced players like Luis Fernandez, Cannes overclassed many of their higher-rated counterparts. Unfortunately, in the following season, with the departure of Simba and Cannes having to combine its focus on both the league and Europe, the club finished in a disastrous 19th-place position. The club also suffered elimination in Round of 32 in the UEFA Cup. The resulting relegation led to the departure of Zidane and numerous others who were being courted by Division 1 clubs.

Though the departure of Zidane and others did hurt the club, Cannes still had a solid core of players, which included veterans André Amitrano, William Ayache, Franck Durix, and Adick Koot and youngsters Johan Micoud, Patrick Vieira, David Jemmali and Laurent Macquet. The group effectively lived up to club expectations by finishing second in its group in the second division. Due to having more points than the second-place finisher in the other group, Cannes were back in Division 1. In the club's return, Cannes finished in a respectable ninth-place position for the 1994–95 season under manager Safet Sušić. The next season didn't start well, with Sušić getting sacked in September 1995. Ultimately, Cannes finished 14th that season. In the off-season heading into the 1996–97, Vieira departed the club for Italy, Durix ventured to Japan, and Ayache retired. Cannes struggled to replace the departed players and, subsequently, finished in 15th place for the season. Midway through the campaign, Micoud left the club for Bordeaux. After the season, Jammeli followed suit and also joined Bordeaux. The resulting departure of all the club's youth talent ultimately led to its downfall with Cannes finishing dead last in the 1997–98 season. Since the club's relegation in 1998, Cannes have yet to return to the first division of French football.

On 1 July 2014, Cannes were officially excluded from professional football in France after a ruling from the Direction Nationale du Contrôle de Gestion relating to the club's financial situation. For the 2015–16 season, the remnants of Cannes played in the Division of Honor, in the Mediterranean Regional League of the French football system.[5]

Players

Current squad

As of 29 December 2022[6]

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
— GK France FRA Victor Battu
— GK France FRA Loris Cocchini
— DF France FRA Lucas Blanc
— DF France FRA Adrien Petit
— DF France FRA Ashraf Oussidi
— DF France FRA Haym Brahim
— DF France FRA Nathaniel Diaz
— DF France FRA William Boe
— DF France FRA Karl De Souza
No. Pos. Nation Player
— MF France FRA Ismael Doghmane
— MF France FRA Tom Buti
— MF France FRA Romain Lebarilier
— MF France FRA Jâsim El Asri
— MF France FRA William Constantin
— MF France FRA Jihaid Ferchichi
— FW France FRA Antoine Ouvrier
— FW France FRA Maxime Bennabas
— FW France FRA Patrick Sorentino

Notable players

Below are the notable former players who have represented Cannes in league and international competition since the club's foundation as a football club in 1909. To appear in the section below, a player must have played in at least 80 official matches for the club.

For a complete list of Cannes players, see Category:AS Cannes players

Club officials

Management and coaching

Association Sportive de Cannes Football

Coaching history

Dates[7] Name
1932–1934 Billy Aitken
1934–1938 Stan Hillier
1938–1939 Maurice Cottenet
Cornelli
Francis Roux
1948 Elek Schwartz
1948–1949 Dominique Mori
1949–1952 Anton Marek
1952–1955 Lucien Troupel
Léon Rossi
1957–1959 Paul Baron
1961–1962 Dante Lerda
1962–1964 Alberto Muro
1964–1966 Louis Mus
1966–1968 Maurice Blondel
1968–1976 Dante Lerda
1976–1981 Robert Domergue
1981–1983 Charly Loubet
1983–1985 Jean-Marc Guillou
1985–1990 Jean Fernandez
1990–1992 Boro Primorac
1992 Erick Mombaerts
1992–1994 Luis Fernandez
1994–1995 Safet Sušić
1995 William Ayache
1995–1997 Guy Lacombe
1997–1998 Adick Koot
1998 Guy Calleja
1998–2001 Roland Gransard
2001–2002 René Marsiglia
2002 Bernard Casoni
2002 Christian Lopez
2002–2003 Robert Buigues
2003 Nenad Stojkovic
2003–2004 René Marsiglia
2004–2006 Gérard Bernardet
2006–2007 Michel Dussuyer
2007 Patrice Carteron
2007–2008 Stéphane Paille
2008–2009 Patrice Carteron
2009–2011 Albert Emon
2011 Victor Zvunka
2011–2012 David Guion
2012–2014 Jean-Marc Pilorget
2014 Jean-Michel Prieur
2014–2015 Manuel Nogueira
2015–2016 Mickaël Madar
2016–2017 Mickaël Marsiglia
2017–2018 Michel Pavon
2018–2020 Ludovic Pollet
2020– Jean-Noël Cabezas[8]

Honours

References

  1. ↑ "#560 – AS Cannes : les Dragons" (in French). Footnickname. 5 July 2021. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
  2. ↑ "AS Cannes bought by an American businessman". LookCharms. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
  3. ↑ "Already owner of AS Rome, American film producer Dan Friedkin buys AS Cannes". DayFR Euro. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
  4. ↑ "Un nouveau logo pour le club". Foot National. 21 May 2010. Archived from the original on 25 May 2010. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
  5. ↑ "DIVISION D HONNEUR 2015-2016 - Résultats et classement - FFF". www.fff.fr.
  6. ↑ "Regional 2 team" (in French). AS Cannes. Retrieved 29 December 2022.
  7. ↑ France – Trainers of First and Second Division Clubs Archived 31 March 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ↑ "Jean-Noël Cabezas nommé entraîneur de l'AS Cannes" (in French). actufoot.com. 2 January 2020.
  9. ↑ Though finishing runner-up in the league is not considered an honour, during the French league's inaugural season, a league table/playoff format was used with the top two teams of each league table contesting each other in a one-off final match to determine the champions.
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