Tony Vairelles (born 10 April 1973) is a French former professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...
who played as a
forward
Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward.
Forward may also refer to:
People
* Forward (surname)
Sports
* Forward (association football)
* Forward (basketball), including:
** Point forward
** Power forward (basketball)
** Sm ...
.
Club career
A much-travelled
centre-forward
Forwards (also known as attackers) are outfield positions in an association football team who play the furthest up the pitch and are therefore most responsible for scoring goals as well as assisting them. As with any attacking player, the role ...
, the talented Vairelles started his professional career with hometown club
AS Nancy
Association Sportive Nancy Lorraine (), commonly known as AS Nancy Lorraine, or simply Nancy, is a French association football club founded in 1967 in Nancy, Grand Est and located in Tomblaine, in the inner suburbs of Nancy. The club currently ...
before moving to
RC Lens
Racing Club de Lens (, commonly referred to as RC Lens or simply Lens) is a French professional football club based in the northern city of Lens in the Pas-de-Calais department. Its nickname, ''les sang et or'' (''the blood and gold''), come ...
in summer 1995. After four seasons with considerable success (one league and one cup title) he joined
Olympique Lyonnais who sent him out on loan three times and finally sold him to
Stade Rennais
Stade Rennais Football Club (), commonly referred to as Stade Rennais FC, Stade Rennais, Rennes, or simply SRFC, is a French professional football club based in Rennes, Brittany. They compete in Ligue 1, the top tier of French football, and pl ...
. From then he changed clubs every season. Before the 2008
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...
season he had a trial with
Toronto FC
Toronto Football Club (commonly known as Toronto FC or TFC) is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Toronto. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home matches at BMO ...
but did not fit into their plans and was not signed. In 2009, he joined
FC Gueugnon after a stint at
F91 Dudelange
F91 Dudelange (; lb, F91 Diddeleng, italic=no, ) is a Luxembourger professional football club based in Dudelange which plays in the Luxembourg National Division.
It was formed in 1991 as a merger between three teams in the town: Alliance Dud ...
. He also became the club's main investor.
International career
Vairelles represented France at the 1996 Summer Olympics.
He made his senior debut for
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 ...
in an August 1998 friendly match against
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
and went on to earn eight caps, scoring one goal. He played his final international game in April 2000 against
Slovenia
Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...
.
Personal life
Vairelles is the first player from the
Gypsy community (through his maternal biological grandfather) to play for the France national team.
He has one sister, Marilyn, and five brothers, Giovan, Diego, Jimmy, Gino, and Fabrice.
His cousin
David Vairelles and his younger brothers Giovan and Diego are all professional footballers.
Tony Vairelles and his brothers Giovan, Jimmy, and Fabrice were held in pre-trial detention in Nancy from 25 October 2011 after a shooting in a discothèque in Essey-lès-Nancy. He was freed on 27 March 2012 and put on probation. In June 2015, the trial was still ongoing with Tony Vairelles and his brothers being charged with attempted murder.
On 16 May 2022, Vairelles was sentenced to three years in prison for his part in the attack.
Career statistics
:''Score and result list France's goal tally first, score column indicates score after Vairelles goal.''
Honours
Lens
*
Ligue 1
Ligue 1, officially known as Ligue 1 Uber Eats for sponsorship reasons, is a French professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the French football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. A ...
:
1997–98
*
Coupe de la Ligue
The Coupe de la Ligue (), known outside France as the French League Cup, was a Single-elimination tournament, knockout cup competition in Football in France, French football organized by the Ligue de Football Professionnel. The tournament was est ...
:
1999
Lyon
*
Trophée des Champions
The Trophée des Champions (, ) is a French association football trophy contested in an annual match between the champions of Ligue 1 and the winners of the Coupe de France. It is equivalent to the super cups found in many other countries.
His ...
:
2002
File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...
*
Ligue 1
Ligue 1, officially known as Ligue 1 Uber Eats for sponsorship reasons, is a French professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the French football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. A ...
:
2002–03
Dudelange
*
BGL Ligue
The National Division ( lb, Nationaldivisioun, french: Division Nationale, german: Nationaldivision) is the highest football league in Luxembourg. Until 2011, it was known as the BGL Ligue, after the Luxembourg Football Federation managed to se ...
:
2008–09
*
Luxembourg Cup
The Luxembourg Cup () is the national knockout cup competition in Luxembourgian football. It was first held in 1922, and has been held annually since, with the exception of the four seasons during the German occupation during Second World War
...
:
2008–09
External links
*
*
Career stats- France Football
*
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vairelles, Tony
1973 births
Living people
Romani footballers
French Romani people
French footballers
Association football forwards
France international footballers
France under-21 international footballers
Footballers at the 1996 Summer Olympics
Olympic footballers of France
Competitors at the 1993 Mediterranean Games
Mediterranean Games bronze medalists for France
Mediterranean Games medalists in football
AS Nancy Lorraine players
RC Lens players
Olympique Lyonnais players
FC Girondins de Bordeaux players
SC Bastia players
Stade Rennais F.C. players
Lierse S.K. players
Tours FC players
CA Bastia players
F91 Dudelange players
FC Gueugnon players
Ligue 1 players
Ligue 2 players
Championnat National players
Championnat National 2 players
Belgian First Division A players
French expatriate footballers
French expatriate sportspeople in Belgium
Expatriate footballers in Belgium
French expatriate sportspeople in Luxembourg
Expatriate footballers in Luxembourg
Sportspeople from Nancy, France
Footballers from Grand Est