Le Havre AC

Havre AC

File:Le Havre AC logo.png
Full name	Havre Athletic Club
Nickname(s)	Le club doyen (The Dean Club), Les Ciel et Marine (The Sky-and-Navy)
Founded	1872 (1872)
Ground	Stade Océane, Le Havre
Ground Capacity	25,178
Chairman	Vincent Volpe
Manager	Bob Bradley
League	Ligue 2
2014–15	Ligue 2, 7th
Website	Club home page
Home colours Away colours

HAC in Tournoi de paques 1913

Havre Athletic Club (French pronunciation: ​[lə avʁ]; commonly referred to as Le Havre or simply as Havre) is a French association football club based in Le Havre, Haute-Normandie. The club was founded originally as an athletics and rugby club in 1872. Le Havre currently plays in Ligue 2, the second level of French football, and plays its home matches at the Stade Océane.

Le Havre made its football debut in France's first-ever championship in 1899 and, on its debut, became the first French club outside of Paris to win the league. The club won the league the following season in 1900. Le Havre has yet to win the current first division of French football, Ligue 1, but has participated in the league 24 times; its last stint being during the 2008–09 season. The club's highest honour to date was winning the Coupe de France in 1959. Le Havre is managed by Bob Bradley and captained by defender Steven Fortes. The main rivalries are "Derby Normand" with SM Caen and an always heated clash with RC Lens, located in the region of Nord-Pas-de-Calais.

History

It was in 1872 that a group of British residents formed Le Havre Athlétique, which played a hybrid form of football, a cross between rugby and association football, called "combination". Association football began being played on a regular basis in 1894.

In 1899, Le Havre became the first club from outside Paris to become French football champions. At the time the championship was organised by the USFSA. After being awarded a win over Iris Club Lillois in the semi-final by walkover, they were awarded the title after also receiving a walkover in the final against Club Français. They would also win the following year, with the final being a "re-match" of the forfeited 1899 final.

The club is famous for its notable youth investment program which develops and nurtures young talent, with the vision of using them in the first team if they show enough promise. A vast amount of good young talent has gone on to make an impact at international level including Benjamin Mendy, Ibrahim Ba, Jean-Alain Boumsong, Lassana Diarra and Vikash Dhorasoo.

The club was on the receiving end of some high-profile illegal transfers, by which Charles N'Zogbia, Matthias Lepiller and Paul Pogba were signed by other clubs, allegedly without the proper compensation being paid. The first two were arbitrated by FIFA, who ordered Newcastle United and ACF Fiorentina to pay training compensation.

Club culture

Le Havre is known as 'les ciel et marine' in France, which translates as 'the sky and navy blues'. These colours were chosen by the club's English founders as they were those of their alma maters, the universities of Oxford and Cambridge: the anthem of the club is played to the medody of "God Save the Queen" to mark the English origins of the club:

"A jamais le premier
de tous les clubs français
ô H.A.C.
Fiers de tes origins
Fils d'Oxford et Cambridge
deux coulours font nôtre prestige
Ciel et marine!"

English translation:

"The first ever
of all French clubs
The H.A.C
Proud of your roots
Son of Oxford and Cambridge
two colors make our prestige
(the colors of the) sky and the sea!"

Players

Current squad

As of 18 September 2015.

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 Fabien Farnolle 2 DF Issam Chebake 3 DF Ferland Mendy 4 MF Modeste M'bami 6 DF Costinel Gugu 7 MF Jean-Pascal Fontaine 9 FW Lys Mousset 10 FW Mathieu Duhamel 11 MF Ludovic Gamboa 12 FW Joseph Mendes 14 MF Harisson Manzala 15 DF Jérôme Mombris

No. Position Player 17 MF Alexandre Bonnet 18 DF Steven Fortes 19 MF Dylan Louiserre 20 DF Grégoire Puel 21 DF Dénys Bain 22 MF Victor Lekhal 24 FW Akeem Agbetu 26 DF Cédric Cambon 27 FW Ghislain Gimbert 30 GK Stefan Milosavljevic 40 GK Pierre-Alexandre Bois

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

Reserve squad

• Head Coach: Bob Bradley

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

No. Position Player GK Yohan Blind GK Dan Delauney DF Paul Bougrat DF Jérémy Balmy DF Lenny Houelche DF Kévin Mendy DF Benoît Perre DF Jordan Smith DF Demba Sow MF Sandro Agape MF Elton Boketsu MF Oumar Camara MF Yacine Chatar

No. Position Player MF Mansour Diallo MF Marvin Dubourg MF Gussouma Fofana MF Morgan Gereto MF Landry Koukoui MF Rénald Metelus MF Héry Randriantsara MF Drissa Traoré FW Jordan Cuvier FW Abdoul Diawara FW Adam Nkusu FW Jordan Vercleyen

Honours

File:Le Havre Athletic Club logo.svg

former logo

• Ligue 2
  • Winners (5) : 1938, 1959, 1985, 1991, 2008
  • Runners-up (1) : 1950
• Coupe de France
  • Winners (1) : 1959
  • Runners-up (1) : 1920
• USFSA Championnat
  • Winners (3) : 1899, 1900, 1919
• Challenge international du Nord
  • Winners (1) : 1900
• Coupe Nationale
  • Winners (2) : 1918, 1919
• Normandy Division d'Honneur
  • Winners (13) : 1900, 1901, 1902, 1903, 1905, 1906, 1907, 1909, 1919, 1920, 1921, 1923, 1926
• Challenge des Champions
  • Winners (1) : 1959

Managerial history

3

External links

• Official site (French)