Ligue 1 - An introduction

 Ligue 1 - An introduction

When it comes to football the English are world renowned for their support, loyalty and passion but, and yes there is always a "but", we are however somewhat ignorant when it comes to our knowledge on foreign football. The average English football fan, myself included, will know bits and pieces about the other European leagues, normally the Spanish and Italian, but most of the other leagues are largely overlooked, in particular and somewhat surprisingly the French Ligue 1. So why is there a lack of interest in French football in the UK?

Well firstly the French teams of Ligue 1 just don’t have the financial resources that their English counterparts have, and as a result French teams have struggled in recent years in the financially lucrative Champions League, with the exception of Monaco finishing runners-up in 2004. In fact, for a nation that has reached the world cup final two times in the last 14 years, France lay claim to only one Champions League winner; Marseille, which came about way back in 1993. This has contributed to a lack of publicity of French teams in the UK compared with the Spanish, Italian and German leagues who can all boast multiple Champions League winners. This leads onto another problem; the inability to keep hold of star players. Ligue 1 has produced some exceptional talents over the years; Henry, Nasri, Benzema, Rolnaldinho, to name a few, but French teams have always struggled to hold on to their prize assets and as soon as the European giants begin to show an interest they are out of the door not long after. It is all very simple, big name players = big publicity.

 Another criticism often aimed at Ligue 1 is the support; in the 2011-12 season the average attendance in Ligue 1 was just a mere 18, 665 compared with 34, 601 in the Premier League. So yes, maybe the attendances are not the best, but I would like to put this matter straight; French football supporters are amongst the most passionate in Europe. Now, I know you will all be disagreeing with this statement but at least hear me out. After spending the last year on an Erasmus year abroad in Aix-en-Provence, I was lucky enough to watch Olympique Marseille play in two Champions League matches (Arsenal and Inter Milan) and the atmosphere at these two games was like nothing I have ever experienced in England. As a proud Norwich City fan I have experienced the highs and lows of English football, but nothing even comes close to one particular moment on a cold Wednesday night  at the Stade Velodrome; a drab match between Inter-Milan and Marseille was heading for a nil-nil draw, when in the 93rd minute Andre Ayew glanced a header home. The following scenes of jubilation were what the French call « la folie » (absolute bedlam). From that moment forth, Marseille and French football had cemented their place alongside Norwich City….well okay, just a bit below Norwich, but still this was truly an unforgettable experience.

This decision has unfortunately coincided with a down turn in fortunes for the club but it has on the other hand coincided with what looks like a revival of Ligue 1. The obvious change being the huge financial investment in PSG which has allowed them to bring in superstars such as Thiago Silva, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Ezequiel Lavezzi, players that, a few years ago, Ligue 1 could only dream about. But this is not the only change taking place; more and more French players are opting to stay in France then before. Take for example, the highly sought after Marvin Martin who opted to move to Lille despite interest from abroad. Publicity of the French league is also growing with the Trophée des Champions (the equivalent of the Premier League’s Community Shield) being played in the USA for the first time. Added to this ESPN are now looking to broadcast the Ligue 1 in England. So the future is bright for French football and who knows we might be seeing a French Champions League winner in the not to distant future. Watch this space….