Dijon FCO
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Dijon Football Côte d'Or (; literally "Dijon Football Gold Coast"), commonly referred to as Dijon FCO or simply as Dijon, is a French
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...
club based in
Dijon Dijon (, , ) (dated) * it, Digione * la, Diviō or * lmo, Digion is the prefecture of the Côte-d'Or department and of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in northeastern France. the commune had a population of 156,920. The earlie ...
. The club was founded in 1998 as a result of a merger between two local clubs in the city, and competed in
Ligue 2 Ligue 2 (, League 2), also known as Ligue 2 BKT due to 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 making up the Ligue ...
after suffering relegation from
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. ...
in the 2011–12 season. The club earned promotion back to Ligue 1 at the end of the 2015–16 season, before again being relegated in
2020–21 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...
. The club’s president is Olivier Delcourt. Dijon plays its home matches at the
Stade Gaston Gérard Stade Gaston Gérard is a multi-use stadium in Dijon, France. It is used mostly for football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normal ...
.


History

The history of football in Dijon began in 1903 with the founding of Cercle Laïque Dijonnais (Dijon Secular Club). The club's football section was set up in 1913. During World War II Cercle Laïque Dijonnais was renamed Cercle Sportif Dijon (Dijon Sports Club) and merged with FC Dijon. The new club, called Cercle Sportif Laïque Dijonnais (Dijon Secular Sports Club), joined Burgundy's regional Division Honneur at its creation in 1945. In spring 1960, the club won the Burgundy championship for the first time. After a spell in the top level amateur league from 1962, the club was coached by Pierre Danzelle and was able to field a stronger team, as shown by its winning the CFA Centre division in 1965. Refusing repeated proposals by the footballing authorities for the club to turn professional, Dijon's directors brought about the breakup of the team. The club was relegated to the
Division d'Honneur Division or divider may refer to: Mathematics *Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication * Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division Military *Division (military), a formation typically consisting ...
in 1967. The club won promotion to Division 3 in 1974 with the help of Philippe Piat. In the late 1970s, meanwhile, several small clubs merged to form Dijon FC. This new club became the rivals of Cercle Sportif Laïque Dijonnais in the Burgundian capital. During the 1980s Cercle was owned by Jean Claude Dubouil. For the first time in its history, the club played in Division 2 between 1987 and 1991. Despite some good results, however, the club declined both financially and in terms of performance. Meanwhile, the city's second club, Dijon FC, coached by Daniel Joseph, was promoted to the CFA, the same division as Cercle.


Formation (1998–2005)

In 1998, the two leading clubs of the city, the Cercle Sportif Laïque Dijonnais and Dijon FC decided to merge to give Dijon a stronger club, which was named Dijon Football Côte-d'Or (DFCO). During its first season in CFA, DFCO's manager was Noël Tosi. The club missed out on promotion in the last match of the season. Noël Tosi was dismissed, and replaced by his deputy, Daniel Joseph. The following season, promotion was won in a match against
Calais RUFC Calais Racing Union FC (Calais RUFC) was a French football club based in Calais, France. Calais RUFC was founded in 1974 after a merger of two local clubs and, as an amateur club, reached the 2000 Coupe de France Final which it lost to top-fligh ...
, again on the last day of the season. The same year DFCO beat
Alès Alès (; oc, Alès) is a commune in the Gard department in the Occitanie region in southern France. It is one of the sub-prefectures of the department. It was formerly known as ''Alais''. Geography Alès lies north-northwest of Nîmes, o ...
to win the French Amateur title, the club's first trophy. The following two seasons in National were difficult for the club. During the 2000–01 season, the club narrowly escaped relegation. Following the departure of Daniel Joseph, his deputy Mario Relmy took over and again the team managed to avoid relegation. In 2002,
Rudi Garcia Rudi José Garcia (; ; born 20 February 1964) is a French professional football manager and former player who is the manager of Saudi Professional League club Al Nassr. Early life Rudi Garcia's father, José, was a Spanish expatriate who played ...
arrived at Dijon, which turned professional in 2004. In his first season as coach, Garcia took Dijon briefly to the top of the National league before they finally finished 4th, three points away from promotion. In 2004 Dijon achieved a memorable run in the
Coupe de France The Coupe de France, formerly known as the Coupe Charles Simon, is the premier knockout cup competition in French football organized by the French Football Federation (FFF). It was first held in 1917 and is open to all amateur and profession ...
, beating
Saint-Étienne Saint-Étienne (; frp, Sant-Etiève; oc, Sant Estève, ) is a city and the prefecture of the Loire department in eastern-central France, in the Massif Central, southwest of Lyon in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. Saint-Étienne is the ...
(L2),
Lens A lens is a transmissive optical device which focuses or disperses a light beam by means of refraction. A simple lens consists of a single piece of transparent material, while a compound lens consists of several simple lenses (''elements ...
(L1),
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 b ...
(L2) and
Amiens Amiens (English: or ; ; pcd, Anmien, or ) is a city and commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in the region of Hauts-de-France. In 2021, the population of ...
(L2) before losing to
Châteauroux Châteauroux (; ; oc, Chasteurós) is the capital city of the French department of Indre, central France and the second-largest town in the province of Berry, after Bourges. Its residents are called ''Castelroussins'' () in French. Climate Ch ...
(L2) in the semi-final. In the same year DFCO was promoted to
Ligue 2 Ligue 2 (, League 2), also known as Ligue 2 BKT due to 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 making up the Ligue ...
.


Ligue 2 (2005–2011)

Promotion to Ligue 2 allowed the club to be separated into two entities: professional and amateur. Despite limited resources and poor infrastructure, DFCO achieved an impressive 4th place in its first season in
Ligue 2 Ligue 2 (, League 2), also known as Ligue 2 BKT due to 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 making up the Ligue ...
. The club also achieved the exploit of beating
Bordeaux Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefectur ...
in the 16th round of the
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 ...
. At the end of the 2005–06 season, the club finished fifth. The club's aim was promotion to Ligue 1. During the 2006–07 season, Dijon narrowly missed several opportunities to reach the podium, but finally finished 8th. June 2007 marked the end of an era as
Rudi Garcia Rudi José Garcia (; ; born 20 February 1964) is a French professional football manager and former player who is the manager of Saudi Professional League club Al Nassr. Early life Rudi Garcia's father, José, was a Spanish expatriate who played ...
left to manage
Le Mans Le Mans (, ) is a city in northwestern France on the Sarthe River where it meets the Huisne. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le Man ...
. The new coach, Serge Romano, led the club to a top-three position during the season for the first time in the club's history, but after the club fell down the table Serge Romano was sacked in December 2007. He was replaced by
Faruk Hadžibegić Faruk Hadžibegić (; born 7 October 1957) is a Bosnian professional football manager and former player who is the manager of the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team. Club career During his career, Hadžibegić played for hometown club Sarajev ...
in January 2008 after Frederic Bompard briefly took charge as caretaker. The new coach then saved the club from relegation thanks to a draw on the last day of the season away to
AC Ajaccio Athletic Club Ajaccio ( co, Athletic Club Aiacciu), commonly referred to as AC Ajaccio, ''ACA'' or simply Ajaccio, is a French association football club based in the city of Ajaccio on the island of Corsica. The club was founded in 1910 and ...
. The same year, the club reached the quarter finals of the
Coupe de France The Coupe de France, formerly known as the Coupe Charles Simon, is the premier knockout cup competition in French football organized by the French Football Federation (FFF). It was first held in 1917 and is open to all amateur and profession ...
for the first time, but lost to
Amiens Amiens (English: or ; ; pcd, Anmien, or ) is a city and commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in the region of Hauts-de-France. In 2021, the population of ...
on 15 April 2008. The 2008–09 season was marked by the arrival of the French international
Eric Carrière Eric Gérard Carrière (born 24 May 1973) is a French former professional footballer who played as a midfielder for Nantes, Lyon, Lens, and Dijon. Club career Carrière started his professional career at FC Nantes with whom he won his first Lig ...
, as well as
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang Pierre-Emerick Emiliano François Aubameyang (born 18 June 1989) is a professional footballer who plays as a striker for Premier League club Chelsea. He is renowned for his pace, finishing, and off-ball movement. Born in France, he is a former ...
on loan from
A.C. Milan Associazione Calcio Milan (), commonly referred to as AC Milan or simply Milan, is a professional Association football, football club in Milan, Italy, founded in 1899. The club has spent its entire history, with the exception of the 1980–81 ...
. Despite their contribution, DFCO remained stuck in the lower half of the table, although they put themselves beyond relegation in April. In the
Coupe de France The Coupe de France, formerly known as the Coupe Charles Simon, is the premier knockout cup competition in French football organized by the French Football Federation (FFF). It was first held in 1917 and is open to all amateur and profession ...
Dijon lost against the Ligue 1 team
Grenoble lat, Gratianopolis , commune status = Prefecture and commune , image = Panorama grenoble.png , image size = , caption = From upper left: Panorama of the city, Grenoble’s cable cars, place Saint- ...
on penalties after a 1–1 draw. Following a dispute during the summer break in 2009 between President Bernard Gnecchi and the coach at the time,
Faruk Hadžibegić Faruk Hadžibegić (; born 7 October 1957) is a Bosnian professional football manager and former player who is the manager of the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team. Club career During his career, Hadžibegić played for hometown club Sarajev ...
, Gnecchi chose to appoint Patrice Carteron as the new coach. After a first season ended in mid-table, DFCO was promoted to Ligue 1 at the end of the 2010–11 season for the first time in its history, thanks to finishing third in
Ligue 2 Ligue 2 (, League 2), also known as Ligue 2 BKT due to 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 making up the Ligue ...
.


Ligue 1 (2011–2012)

Dijon played in
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. ...
for the first time in its history during the 2011–12 season. On 7 August 2011, the Burgundy club played its first top-flight match against
Rennes Rennes (; br, Roazhon ; Gallo: ''Resnn''; ) is a city in the east of Brittany in northwestern France at the confluence of the Ille and the Vilaine. Rennes is the prefecture of the region of Brittany, as well as the Ille-et-Vilaine department ...
at home, scoring its first goal and recording its first defeat (1–5). The following Saturday, DFCO lost to
Toulouse Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and from Par ...
2–0. The club's first victory in Ligue 1 came at home on 20 August against
Lorient Lorient (; ) is a town (''Communes of France, commune'') and Port, seaport in the Morbihan Departments of France, department of Brittany (administrative region), Brittany in western France. History Prehistory and classical antiquity Beginn ...
(2–0). The club won a second match in
Annecy Annecy ( , ; frp, Èneci or ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of Southeastern France. It lies on the northern tip of Lake Annecy, south of Geneva, Switzerland. Nicknamed ...
against Evian Thonon-Gaillard (0–1), but then lost against
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 ...
at home in the next match (1–2). Dijon was 16th in the table at the winter break, and recorded a series of good results afterward, drawing with the future champions
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 ...
(1–1), and beating
Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...
(2–1) on 17 March 2012, but internal conflicts and poor performances by leading players such as Benjamin Corgnet,
Abdallah Boudabous Abd Allah ( ar, عبدالله, translit=ʻAbd Allāh), also spelled Abdallah, Abdellah, Abdollah, Abdullah and many others, is an Arabic name meaning "Servant of God". It is built from the Arabic words '' abd'' () and ''Allāh'' (). Although the ...
, and ex-
Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
player
Gaël Kakuta Gaël Romeo Kakuta Mambenga (born 21 June 1991) is a professional footballer who plays as a winger for club Amiens and the DR Congo national team. A youth product of Lens, Kakuta moved to Chelsea in 2007 in a controversial transfer. Rarely ...
weighed heavily at the end of the season. After a win against
SM Caen Stade Malherbe Caen (; commonly known as SM Caen, SMC, or simply Caen) is a French professional football team, based in the city of Caen in Normandy, that competes in the Ligue 2. The club was founded on 17 November 1913 by the merger of ''Clu ...
(2–0) on 25 March 2012, Dijon failed to win another match, losing six and drawing three. On 20 May 2012, on the last day of the season, Dijon lost heavily to
Rennes Rennes (; br, Roazhon ; Gallo: ''Resnn''; ) is a city in the east of Brittany in northwestern France at the confluence of the Ille and the Vilaine. Rennes is the prefecture of the region of Brittany, as well as the Ille-et-Vilaine department ...
(5–0) and were officially relegated to
Ligue 2 Ligue 2 (, League 2), also known as Ligue 2 BKT due to 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 making up the Ligue ...
, accompanied by their local rivals,
Auxerre Auxerre ( , ) is the capital of the Yonne department and the fourth-largest city in Burgundy. Auxerre's population today is about 35,000; the urban area (''aire d'attraction'') comprises roughly 113,000 inhabitants. Residents of Auxerre are r ...
. Conceding 63 goals in 38 games, Dijon had the worst defence in Ligue 1 during their first season in the top flight. Following the relegation, club president Bernard Gnecchi resigned and manager Patrice Carteron left the club.


Return to Ligue 2 (2012–2016)

The new president was Olivier Delcourt, while Olivier Dall'Oglio took over as coach. During the first season back in Ligue 2, the club finished 7th. On 22 April 2016, Dijon won promotion back to
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. ...
finishing second on the table.


Ligue 1 (2016–2021)

In Dijon's first season back in
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. ...
, they managed to survive relegation and finish 16th. In the 2017–18 Ligue 1 season, Dijon finished 11th, improving their club record of 16th, which they set last season. The 2017–18 campaign, which was only the club's third-ever top-flight season, saw them end on 48 points, 11 more than they managed last year. In the 2018–19 Ligue 1 season, Dijon finished in 18th place on the table and were required to play a two legged play off against
Ligue 2 Ligue 2 (, League 2), also known as Ligue 2 BKT due to 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 making up the Ligue ...
side
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 ...
. After a 1–1 draw in the first leg, Dijon would win the second leg and the tie 3–1 after two goalkeeping blunders by Lens keeper Jérémy Vachoux cost his side a chance of promotion to
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. ...
and ensured Dijon's survival. With four games left to play, Dijon were relegated back to
Ligue 2 Ligue 2 (, League 2), also known as Ligue 2 BKT due to 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 making up the Ligue ...
in the
2020–21 Ligue 1 The 2020–21 Ligue 1 season, also known as Ligue 1 Uber Eats for sponsorship reasons, was a French association football tournament within Ligue 1. It was the 83rd season since its establishment. The season started on 21 August 2020 and ended on ...
season, following a 5–1 defeat 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 ...
on 25 April 2021.


Records

* Matches played: Stéphane Mangione (283 matches) * Number of goals: Julio Tavares (80 goals) (still in the team) * Matches against: Rudi Garcia (204 matches) * Biggest purchase: Brice Jovial (€2M for Le Havre Athletic Club ) * Biggest Sale: Loïs Diony (€10M to AS Saint Etienne, including bonuses) * The oldest player in a match: Stéphane Grégoire (39 years, 3 months and 23 days at Dijon and Strasbourg (3–1, Ligue 2) 25 May 2007) * Youngest player in a match: Patrick M'Pondo (17 years, 2 months and 17 days at Brest-Dijon (0–1 National) 27 October 2001) * Most goals in one game: 12 (US Mahault Baie-Dijon FCO :1–12 Coupe de France 1998–1999) * Most goals conceded in a match: 8 ( Paris Saint German -Dijon FCO :8–0 Ligue 1 2017–2018) * Victory with the biggest difference: 11 (US Mahault Baie-Dijon FCO :1–12 Coupe de France 1998–1999) * Defeat with the biggest difference: -8 (Paris Saint German -Dijon FCO :8–0 Ligue 1 2017–2018)


Current squad


First team


Out on loan


Coaching history

* Noël Tosi (1998–99) * Daniel Joseph (1999-01) *
Mario Relmy Mario Relmy (born 7 May 1960) is a former professional Association football, footballer who played as a striker. External linksMario Relmy profile
at chamoisfc79.fr 1960 births Living people Guadeloupean men's footballers French men's foo ...
(2001–02) *
Rudi Garcia Rudi José Garcia (; ; born 20 February 1964) is a French professional football manager and former player who is the manager of Saudi Professional League club Al Nassr. Early life Rudi Garcia's father, José, was a Spanish expatriate who played ...
(2002–07) * Serge Romano (June 2007 – December 2007) *
Frédéric Bompard Frédéric "Fred" Bompard (born 30 December 1962) is a French professional football manager and former player who is the head coach of club Nîmes. As a player, he was a goalkeeper. Managerial career Early career While playing for Paris ...
(December 2007) *
Faruk Hadžibegić Faruk Hadžibegić (; born 7 October 1957) is a Bosnian professional football manager and former player who is the manager of the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team. Club career During his career, Hadžibegić played for hometown club Sarajev ...
(December 2007 – June 2009) * Patrice Carteron (July 2009 – May 2012) * Olivier Dall'Oglio (2012–2018) *
Antoine Kombouaré Antoine Krilone Kombouaré (; born 16 November 1963) is a French professional football manager and former player who is the head coach of Ligue 1 club Nantes. Playing career Born in the French overseas territory of New Caledonia, Kombouaré bega ...
(2019) * Stéphane Jobard (2019–2020) * David Linarès (2020-)


Crest history

The owl, associated with an architectural detail at the
Church of Notre-Dame of Dijon The Church of Notre-Dame of Dijon is a Roman Catholic church in Dijon. Considered a masterpiece of 13th-century Gothic architecture, it is situated at the heart of the preserved old centre of the city. It is located in Place Notre-Dame, near the ...
, is a symbol of the city. The club's first crest featured Dijon's Guillaume Gate (Place Darcy) with an owl in the foreground. In the 2006 version, the owl was shown in full flight, while the Guillaume Gate gave way to a plain red background, in line with the team's new home kit. The owl is shown opening its wings to represent V for victory. Between the wings appears "1998", the date of the club's foundation in its modern form, and at the top 'DFCO' and 'Dijon Football Côte d'Or'. The current crest is an updated version of 2006's, with the words 'Dijon Football Côte d'Or' having disappeared, leaving only 'DFCO' and '1998' written in white on the red background.


References


External links

* {{Authority control Association football clubs established in 1998 Sport in Dijon 1998 establishments in France Football clubs in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Ligue 1 clubs