The 2012–13 Ligue 1 was the 75th season since its establishment.
Montpellier
Montpellier (, , ; oc, Montpelhièr ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of ...
were the
defending champions. The league schedule was announced in April 2012 and the fixtures were determined on 30 May.
The season began on 10 August and ended on 26 May 2013. A winter break was in effect from 24 December to 12 January 2013.
The season marked the 80th anniversary of professional football in France.
In addition, German
sportswear
Sportswear or activewear is clothing, including footwear, worn for sport or physical exercise. Sport-specific clothing is worn for most sports and physical exercise, for practical, comfort or safety reasons.
Typical sport-specific garments ...
company
Adidas
Adidas AG (; stylized as adidas since 1949) is a German multinational corporation, founded and headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, that designs and manufactures shoes, clothing and accessories. It is the largest sportswear manufactur ...
became the official provider of match balls for the season after agreeing to a long-term partnership with the
Ligue de Football Professionnel
The Ligue de Football Professionnel (, ''Professional Football League''), commonly known as the LFP, is a French governing body that runs the major professional football leagues in France. It was founded in 1944 and serves under the authority o ...
.
To commemorate the 80th anniversary, adidas unveiled an exclusive ball, known as ''Le 80'', for the new season.
Since France dropped from fifth to sixth place in the
UEFA association coefficient rankings at the end of the 2011–12 season, the league's third place team,
Lyon
Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of t ...
qualified for the
third qualifying round
Third or 3rd may refer to:
Numbers
* 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3
* , a fraction of one third
* 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute''
Places
* 3rd Street (disambiguation)
* Third Avenue (disambiguation)
* Hig ...
of the
2013–14 UEFA Champions League
The 2013–14 UEFA Champions League was the 59th season of Europe's premier club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 22nd season since it was renamed from the European Champion Clubs' Cup to the UEFA Champions League.
The final was ...
, having previously been placed in the playoff round.
On 12 May,
Paris Saint-Germain
Paris Saint-Germain Football Club (), commonly referred to as Paris Saint-Germain, Paris, Paris SG or simply PSG is a professional football club based in Paris, France. They compete in Ligue 1, the top division of French football. As Fr ...
won the league title after a 1–0 away win against Lyon.
Teams
There were three promoted teams from
Ligue 2
Ligue 2 (, League 2), also known as Ligue 2 BKT due to sponsor (commercial), sponsorship by Balkrishna Industries, is a French professional football league. The league serves as the second division of French football and is one of two divisions ...
, replacing the three teams that were relegated from Ligue 1 following the
2011–12 season. A total of 20 teams competed in the league with three clubs suffering relegation to the second division, Ligue 2. All clubs that secured Ligue 1 status for the season were subject to approval by the
DNCG before becoming eligible to participate.
[The DNCG is responsible for overseeing the legal and financial accounts of professional football clubs in France. If clubs operating in ]French football
Association football is the most popular sport in France. The French Football Federation (FFF, Fédération Française de Football) is the national governing body and is responsible for overseeing all aspects of association football in the cou ...
didn't meet the DNCG's expectations, they would face sanctions, such as relegation.
Bastia became the first club to achieve promotion to Ligue 1. The club clinched the second division title on 1 May 2012 with three matches to spare after defeating
Metz
Metz ( , , lat, Divodurum Mediomatricorum, then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers. Metz is the prefecture of the Moselle department and the seat of the parliament of the Grand E ...
3–0 at the
Stade Armand Cesari
Stade Armand-Cesari, also known as the Stade de Furiani, is a multi-purpose stadium in Furiani, France. It is currently used mostly for football matches of SC Bastia. The stadium is able to hold 16,000 people and opened in 1932.
It was the v ...
. Bastia is making its return to the first division after a seven-year absence and is entering Ligue 1 on a run of two consecutive promotions. The club had earned promotion to Ligue 2 after winning the
2010–11 edition of the
Championnat National
The Championnat de France National ( en, French National Championship), commonly referred to as simply National or Division 3, serves as the third division of the French football league system behind Ligue 1 and Ligue 2. Contested by 18 clubs, t ...
.
Reims
Reims ( , , ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French department of Marne, and the 12th most populous city in France. The city lies northeast of Paris on the Vesle river, a tributary of the Aisne.
Founded by ...
and
Troyes
Troyes () is a commune and the capital of the department of Aube in the Grand Est region of north-central France. It is located on the Seine river about south-east of Paris. Troyes is situated within the Champagne wine region and is near to ...
became the second and third clubs, respectively, to earn promotion to Ligue 1 alongside the champions Bastia. Both clubs achieved promotion with one game to spare following league victories on 11 May 2012, which positioned each club in second and third place permanently. Reims, which is a six-time Ligue 1 champion, is returning to the first division after over 33 years playing in the lower divisions. During those 33 years, the club underwent
liquidation
Liquidation is the process in accounting by which a company is brought to an end in Canada, United Kingdom, United States, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, and many other countries. The assets and property of the company are redistrib ...
and had all aspects of the club (its records, trophies, etc.) auctioned off. Troyes is returning to Ligue 1 after spending four years playing in Ligue 2. During its five-year spell outside the first division, Troyes also played in the
Championnat National
The Championnat de France National ( en, French National Championship), commonly referred to as simply National or Division 3, serves as the third division of the French football league system behind Ligue 1 and Ligue 2. Contested by 18 clubs, t ...
, the third level of French football.
Stadia and locations
Personnel and kits
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA
FIFA (; stands for ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( French), meaning International Association Football Federation ) is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was found ...
eligibility rules. Players and managers may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
1Subject to change before the start of the season.
Managerial changes
League table
Results
Season statistics
Top goalscorers
Source
Official Goalscorers' Standings
/small>
Hat-tricks
Scoring
* First goal of the season:
Souleymane Camara
Souleymane Camara (born 22 December 1982) is a Senegalese former professional footballer who played as a forward. He is a former Senegal international and has represented his nation at the 2002 FIFA World Cup and three Africa Cup of Nations to ...
for Montpellier against Toulouse (
''10 August 2012'')
* Fastest goal of the season: 27 seconds –
Zlatan Ibrahimović
Zlatan Ibrahimović (, ; born 3 October 1981) is a Swedish professional footballer who plays as a striker for club AC Milan and the Sweden national team. Ibrahimović is renowned for his acrobatic strikes and volleys, powerful long-range sho ...
for Paris Saint-Germain against Lille (
''2 September 2012'')
* Latest goal of the season: 90+5 minutes –
Ilan Ilan may refer to:
Organization
*ILAN, Israeli umbrella organization for the treatment of disabled children
Given name
*Ilan (name), a Hebrew/Israeli name
* Ilan Bakhar, a retired Israeli footballer
*Ilan Araújo Dall'Igna, a Brazilian footballer ...
for Bastia against Reims (
''18 August 2012'')
* Largest winning margin: 5 goals
** Valenciennes 6–1 Lorient (
''20 October 2012'')
** Nice 5–0 Valenciennes (
''13 January 2013'')
** Lille 5–0 Lorient (
''7 April 2013'')
* Highest scoring game: 8 goals
** Lorient 4–4 Ajaccio (
''28 October 2012'')
* Most goals scored in a match by a single team: 6 goals
** Valenciennes 6–1 Lorient (
''20 October 2012'')
* Most goals scored in a match by a losing team: 3 goals
** Valenciennes 3–4 Bastia (
''30 March 2013'')
** Toulouse 3–4 Nice (
''6 April 2013'')
Clean sheets
*Most
clean sheets
In team sports, a shutout ( US) or clean sheet ( UK) is a game in which one team prevents the other from scoring any points. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball.
Shutouts are usuall ...
: 23
** Paris Saint-Germain
*Fewest clean sheets: 6
** Brest
** Nancy
Discipline
* Most yellow cards (club): 83
** Bastia
* Most yellow cards (player): 14
**
Sambou Yatabaré
Sambou Yatabaré (born 2 March 1989) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Sochaux. Born in France, he represents Mali at international level.
Club career
Yatabaré has played for Caen, Monaco and Bastia.
Olympiacos and l ...
(Bastia)
* Most red cards (club): 10
** Paris Saint-Germain
** Rennes
* Most red cards (player): 2
**
Younès Belhanda (Montpellier)
**
Cheikh M'Bengue
Cheikh Sidy Bouya M'Bengue (born 23 July 1988) is a professional footballer who plays as a left-back. He has played professional club football for Toulouse and Rennes. Born in France, he represented them at youth level before playing for the Se ...
(Toulouse)
**
Jamel Saihi (Montpellier)
**
Florian Thauvin
Florian Tristan Mariano Thauvin (born 26 January 1993) is a French professional footballer who plays as a winger for Liga MX club Tigres UANL.
He made his professional debut for Grenoble in 2011, moving on to Bastia where he won the Ligue 2 t ...
(Bastia)
Number of teams by region
List of 2012–13 transfers
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:2012-13 Ligue 1
Ligue 1 seasons
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
1