2012 Coupe de la Ligue final

News

Team backgrounds

Lyon appeared in its fourth final of the Coupe de la Ligue. The Rhône-Alpes-based club won its only league cup title in 2001 defeating Monaco 2–1 after extra time. In Lyon's other two finals appearances, the club finished runner-up to Metz and Bordeaux in 1996 and 2007, respectively. Lyon made its first finals appearance since the 2008 Coupe de France Final when the club beat Paris Saint-Germain 1–0. The club also played at the Stade de France for the first time in nearly three years. The last time Lyon played at the country's national stadium was in a domestic league match against Lille. Lyon lost the match 2–0.

Marseille made its third appearance in the final of the Coupe de la Ligue. The club was the competition's defending champions having defeated Montpellier 1–0 in last year's final. As a result, Marseille became the first club in the French football history to win the competition in consecutive seasons; the club defeated Bordeaux 3–1 in 2010. Les Phocéens attempted to become the first club to win the Coupe de la Ligue in three consecutive years.

Ticketing

The Coupe de la Ligue final has been played every year at the Stade de France since 1998, following the stadium's completion. The stadium has a capacity of 81,338 spectators. Each club that will participate in the final will receive the same quota of tickets, which are distributed to season ticket holders and through each club's ticket sales at a later date. Tickets went on sale to the general public on 28 March 2012, three weeks before the final, and were immediately sold out.

Officials

On 5 April, the LFP announced that the Direction Nationale de l’Arbitrage (DNA) () had confirmed referee Stéphane Lannoy of Nord-Pas-de-Calais would officiate the 2012 Coupe de la Ligue final. Lannoy, a Fédéral F1 referee, the highest designation given to a referee in France, has officiated matches at the 2008 Summer Olympics, in the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Cup and qualifiers for the UEFA Euro 2008, UEFA Euro 2012, and 2010 FIFA World Cup. He has presided over five matches involving either of the two teams this season; three matches for Lyon and two for Marseille. Lyon lost two of the three matches, while Marseille won both of its ties that Lannoy officiated. Lannoy refereed his second league cup final, his first being in 2010, and was assisted by Eric Dansault of Centre and Frédéric Cano of Centre-Ouest. Lionel Jaffredo of Brittany will serve as the fourth official.

Time change

On 30 March 2012, the Ligue de Football Professionnel confirmed that the kick-off of the 2012 Coupe de la Ligue final would be moved from its originally scheduled time of 20:45 to 21:00. The decision was made by the LFP as a result of television channel France 2's, which aired the final, obligations towards the upcoming 2012 French presidential election.

Route to the final

Note: In all results below, the score of the finalist is given first (H: home; A: away).

Match

Pre-match

The opening kick-off was done by former players Sonny Anderson and Abedi Pele. Both players have starred for Lyon and Marseille during their careers, however, each is known primarily for their stints with each club; Anderson with Lyon and Pele with Marseille. With Les Gones, Anderson won two league titles in 2001 and 2002 and also captured the 2000–01 Coupe de la Ligue title. Pele is a member of the FIFA 100 and won two league titles in the early 90s with Marseille. In 1993, he helped the club win the UEFA Champions League. In his five-year stint with Marseille, Pele won the African Footballer of the Year award three times.

Details

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References

References

1. (14 April 2012). "Nicolas Nkoulou, joueur ICM du match". [[Ligue de Football Professionnel]].
2. (31 January 2012). "L’OL en finale!". [[Ligue de Football Professionnel]].
3. (1 February 2012). "OM, la passe de trois". [[Ligue de Football Professionnel]].
4. (12 January 2012). "Le programme TV des demi-finales". [[Ligue de Football Professionnel]].
5. (5 May 2001). "Monaco v. Lyon Coupe de la Ligue finalMatch Report". [[Ligue de Football Professionnel]].
6. (6 April 1996). "Metz v. Lyon Coupe de la Ligue Final Match Report". [[Ligue de Football Professionnel]].
7. (31 March 2007). "Lyon v. Bordeaux Coupe de la Ligue Final Match Report". [[Ligue de Football Professionnel]].
8. (24 May 2008). "Lyon v. Paris Saint-Germain Coupe de France Final Match Report". [[Ligue de Football Professionnel]].
9. (7 March 2009). "Lille v. Lyon Match Report". [[Ligue de Football Professionnel]].
10. (23 April 2011). "Marseille v. Montpellier Coupe de la Ligue Final Match Report". [[Ligue de Football Professionnel]].
11. (28 March 2012). "La finale à guichets fermés!". [[Ligue de Football Professionnel]].
12. "Stéphane Lannoy World Referee Profile". World Referee.
13. (5 April 2012). "Stéphane Lannoy pour la finale". Ligue de Football Professionnel.
14. (30 March 2012). "La finale décalée à 21h00". [[Ligue de Football Professionnel]].
15. Clubs competing in UEFA competitions receive a bye to the Round of 16
16. (5 April 2012). "Sonny Anderson et Abedi Pelé au coup d’envoi". [[Ligue de Football Professionnel]].