1972–73 French Division 1

The 1972/73 season was the 35th running of the professional French football Division 1 champion for the third time since 1965, the FC Nantes.

Were eligible to the clubs who had not completed the preseason worse than 17th place, and three direct promoted from the second division. Instead of the previous year's 16th Paris Saint- Germain FC took the Paris FC consideration. PSG had lost his license and had been transported back to the third ( amateur ) League because he did not meet the association provision to the professional clubs and amateur and youth teams had to entertain. The PFC, however, was able to take over the player of PSG. Thus, in this season the following teams played for the title:

  • A club from the far north ( climber U.S. Valenciennes Anzin )
  • Four from Paris or Champagne- Ardenne ( Red Star FC, Paris FC and Stade Reims, intermediate CS Sedan )
  • Four from the Northeast (FC Metz, AS Nancy, FC Sochaux, intermediate racing Pierrot Strasbourg- Meinau )
  • Four from the West ( the renamed before this season Stade Rennes FC, ​​FC Nantes, Angers SCO, Girondins Bordeaux),
  • Five from the southeast (AS Saint -Etienne, Olympique Lyon, Olympique Nimes, holders Olympique Marseille, OGC Nice),
  • Two from Corsica (AC Ajaccio, Bastia SEC ).

First match was August 9, 1972, last day of play June 2, 1973. A short " winter break " occurred between mid-December and early January.

History, results and tables

It was the two- point rule; case of a tie, the goal difference was the decisive factor for the placement.

The best start to the season saw the staff further enhanced team of Nice under his coach Snella, the numerous opponents literally " shot down " in the first round and by the end of February 1973 held the championship lead. Main competitor of the "Young Eagles" from the Côte d' Azur - Aiglons as the players of the club are often referred to in the 21st century - until then had been defending champions Marseille, despite considerable internal turmoil club. First OMs Bureau had forced the resignation of its Chairman Marcel Leclerc in a " palace revolution " after learning of the results of a tax audit, and had the athletic signings as Marius Trésor over the entire season adjustment difficulties. The decline of both teams back to start of the round was accompanied by a successful series of FC Nantes, which thus caught up with the leader, although he was not anticipated before the season starts to favorites. But Canaris now reaped in their yellow jerseys the fruits of their excellent youth development; half a dozen regulars had emerged from their own talent school, and together with some old hands a functioning unit that " something less elegant and penetrated fully into the mixture but successful ' played when compared to the Champion teams in the mid - 1960s. Even a serious violation of his most successful striker Marcos at the away win at Saint -Etienne in March and subsequent defeats against two teams from the midfield (Reims and Angers) in the last third of the season could be compensated. Because Nantes had at the end of the best defense in the league, and the fact that five other players were also very goal threat - what the offensive series of heavy made ​​ausrechenbar for their opponents - the elf allowed after the third last game day celebration of her third French league title, they won by five points ahead of Nice at the end. Viewed over the entire season, Canaris had this success thanks in particular to its strength at home; against the groups they lost only one game and spent a total of only five points from.

In the fight against relegation stable at a relatively early stage that the most outwardly weak AC Ajaccio, who had brought out of the 19 encounters in foreign stadiums only two draw with home, the transition to Division 2 would have to play. In contrast, only decided on the final match day, who would have to accompany him there: it hit Red Star and Valenciennes with one of the three Neuaufsteiger, while the other two ( Strasbourg and sedan) were able to secure the league in the last minute. For the following season, supplemented Racing Lens, Troyes Aube Football and AS Monaco - which it has yet to two Barrages against the runner-up of the other second division group, the U.S. du Grand Boulogne, had to prevail - the participants in the top division.

On the first weekend in December, only five of the next ten games were played, and it featured several first division a team predominantly or exclusively with amateur players. Background was a strike organized in many of the players' union UNFP professionals with which these responded to various " workarounds " of 1969 introduced in temporary and player contracts by the club. Since in three of the five games is no " equality of arms " of the counterparties had prevailed - the Occupied with amateur footballers team of Paris FC ( 1:11 against Metz ), Strasbourg ( 0:4 in Marseille) and Lyon ( 0:3 in Bastia) subject to each eleven professionals - and canceled the Association all discharged encounters and put the Gameday complete in April 1973 to new.

TV = title holder, A = Intermediate, A = promoted the " Green Table " instead of Paris Saint- Germain FC

Players of the Master

During the season, the following 18 players were under coach José Arribas been used (in brackets: number of point games): Claude Arribas ( 19), Ángel " Hugo" Bargas (15 ), Jean -Paul Bertrand- Demanes (34 ), Bernard Blanchet (35 ), Didier Couécou (31 ), Gabriel De Michele (38 ), Raynald Denoueix ( 7), René Donoyan ( 4), Bernard Gardon (34 ), André Hamon ( 3), Erich Maas ( 34), Ángel Marcos ( 24), Henri Michel ( 38 ), Jean -Claude Osman (38 ), Michel pitch (34 ), Gilles Rampillon (30 ), Patrice Rio (9 ), Omar Sahnoun ( 3)

Nantes ' 67 goals were scored by Marcos 11, Couécou, Maas 10 each, Michel 9, Blanchet, Rampillon 8 each, C. Arribas 4, pitch 3, Bargas, Hamon per 1 There were also two own goals.

Most successful goal scorers

With a total of 1,050 hits in 380 matches, there was an average of 2.8 goals per game.

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