FC Villefranche Beaujolais

Villefranche

160px
Full name	Football Club Villefranche Beaujolais
Nickname(s)	Les Tigres Caladois (The Caladois Tigers)
Short name	FCVB
Founded	1927 (1927)
Ground	Stade Armand Chouffet
Ground Capacity	3,500
Chairman	Philippe Terrier
Manager	Romain Revelli
League	Championnat National
2021–22	Championnat National, 3rd of 18
Website	Club home page
Home colours Away colours

Football Club Villefranche Beaujolais or simply Villefranche is a French association football club founded in 1927. They are based in Villefranche-sur-Saône, Rhône-Alpes and play at the Stade Armand Chouffet in town. The team played one season in the second tier of French football during the 1980s. Since the 2018–19 season they play in the Championnat National, the third tier in the French football league system.

History

Football Club Villefranche-Beaujolais was formed in 1927, from the football section of multi-sports club Cercle Sportif de Villefranche. The Beaujolais suffix of the name had been applied by 1985, the club being previously known as Football Club Villefranche.

The club debuted in the national league structure in 1953 when champions of the Lyonnais region of Division d'Honneur they promoted to Division Nationale, the highest tier of amateur football. They maintained this level for five seasons, then relegated in 1958. Promotion to the Division Nationale in 1966 would follow when they were Lyonnaise regional champions. They relegated in 1969.

In 1970 the club gained access to the Division Nationale for a third time. By successfully remaining in the division, the club became part of the third tier of French football when the FFF reorganised the leagues at the end of the 1970–71 season, taking part in the first edition of Division 3 in 1971. They remained that level until relegated to the regional league in 1976.

FC Villefranche were founding members in 1978 when the FFF introduced a fourth division to the national league, having finished 6th in the regional Division d'Honneur the previous season. They maintained this level for the season with an 11th place finish. A third place season finish in 1979–80, promoted them to Division 3. In 1983 they were promoted to Division 2 although finishing in third place when the two higher placed teams became ineligible for promotion.

The club stayed just one season in Division 2, finishing bottom of Group A and being relegated back to Division 3. They remained at that level until finishing bottom of their group in 1988, and in 1989 suffered a second successive relegation back to the regional league.

In 1993 the FFF introduced a fifth tier, and the club secured a place in the new National 3 division as champions of the Division Honneur (now the Rhône-Alpes region, after internal restructuring of the French regional leagues). After a fourth place finish in their group in 1994 they secured promotion in 1995 by finishing second in their group. The club completed three seasons of mid-table finishes before being relegated in 2000 and 2001.

As champions of the Division d'Honneur in 2004, they promoted to CFA2. In 2008, they won their group and were promoted to the fourth tier, CFA. The remained at this level until successfully gaining promotion to Championnat National as winners of their group in the 2017–18 season.

Current squad

As of 28 October 2023.

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 Sullivan Péan 2 MF Kobi Henry (on loan from Stade Reims) 3 DF Fahem Benaissa-Yahia 4 DF Djamal Moussadek (on loan from Le Havre) 5 MF Rémi Bonenfant 6 MF Clidis Da Silva 7 MF Naïm Dhib 8 MF Mourad Louzif 10 MF Maxime Blanc 11 FW Oumar Sidibé 12 FW Claudy M'Buyi 13 MF Bakari Camara 14 DF Nathan Dekoke 15 DF Théo Emmanuelli

No. Position Player 16 GK Eddy Ehlinger 18 DF Davis Abanda Mfomo 19 FW Idrissa Ba 20 MF Rémi Sergio 22 DF Laurent Dos Santos 23 FW Dassiemou Mai 24 MF Sofiane Bendaoud 27 DF Julien Kouadio 28 MF Abou Ba 30 GK Nathan Vermorel 31 FW Franck Ondoa 32 FW Tristan Bichet 33 FW Emmanuel Mballa Amougou