87-569: Football Club de Metz ( French pronunciation: [mɛs] ) is a French association football club based in Metz , Lorraine . The club was formed in 1932 and plays in Ligue 2 , the second division in the French football league system , for the 2024–25 season following their relegation from the top flight in the 2023–2024 season. They play their home matches at Stade Saint-Symphorien located within
174-411: A UEFA Nations League title in 2021 . The France women's national football team represents the country in international women's football . France initially struggled on the international stage failing to qualify for three of the first FIFA Women's World Cups and the six straight UEFA European Championships before reaching the quarter-finals in the 1997 edition of the competition . However, since
261-642: A 10–0 home win. HJK's traditional kit colours have long been blue and white striped shirts with blue shorts and socks. The club's crest has been nearly untouched for a century, it has only undergone one minor font change in order to modernize it. The club was founded as Helsingin Jalkapalloklubi ;– Helsingfors Fotbollsklubb in 1907 by Fredrik Wathén. The founding meeting was held at a bowling alley in Kaisaniemi Park in May. The first ever competitive fixture
348-660: A hat-trick from Yugoslav striker Tony Kurbos gave Les Grenats a shock 4–1 win in the second leg to send the French side through 6–5 on aggregate. In 1998, the team competed in the qualifications to the UEFA Champions League , but lost in the third round to Finnish team HJK Helsinki . In 2006, FC Metz were relegated from Ligue 1, finishing at the bottom of the table, despite the regular presence of an extremely promising prospect, Miralem Pjanić , who would later be transferred to giants Lyon, for an astonishing fee of €7.5 million. At
435-411: A minor rivalry as both clubs gained good success winning some titles and were also generally well supported. Reipas also won seven cup titles against one of HJK. Reipas was relegated after 1980 season. More notable rivalry was against Kuusysi from the early 1980s to the mid-1990s. Between 1981 and 1992 HJK won six league titles against Kuusysi's five, both clubs also won the cup twice, facing two times in
522-731: A prosperous, middle class group from Töölö has largely disappeared due to social changes in Finland as well as migration from inner city to housing projects built during the mass migration from the countryside during the 1960s and the 1970s. HJK's main rivals in Helsinki were widely considered to be Kiffen , HPS and HIFK . In the past these were the four big clubs from Helsinki. The clubs were mainly separated by language, HJK and HPS being Finnish speaking clubs whereas HIFK and KIF were Swedish speaking. These four clubs competed also in bandy, ice hockey and handball. The support for HJK mainly came from around
609-539: A significant role in the importation of young prospects. The club's board has close ties with the Luxembourgish Football Federation. Nicolas "Nico" Braun , the team's top all-time goalscorer, as well as Pjanić or, closer to our times, Chris Philipps , have played in the G-D's amateur leagues before joining "les Grenats". Despite this, not all Luxembourgers enjoy success with Metz, with Robert "Robby" Langers as
696-557: Is a Finnish football club based in Helsinki . The club competes in Veikkausliiga , the top division of the Finnish football league system . Founded in 1907, the club has spent most of its history in the top tier of Finnish football. The club's home ground is the 10,770-seat Bolt Arena , where they have played their home games since 2000. Generally considered as Finland's biggest club, HJK
783-535: Is also reflected in the composition of the French World Cup winning team where only six of the 23 players were of European descent. France is a football superpower; by its footballers playing around the world, according to the CIES Football Observatory , in 2023, France is the second country in the world behind Brazil , with the most footballers playing abroad with 1,033. According to Statista , of
870-538: Is open to the best reserve teams in France and amateur clubs in France, although only the amateur clubs are eligible for promotion to the Championnat National. The highest-placed amateur team in each pool are promoted, replaced by the 4 lowest-placed in the Championnat National. The Championnat National 3 is the 5th division in French football and normally consists of 168 teams in 12 groups of 14 organised to align with
957-427: Is the most successful Finnish club in terms of championship titles with 33. The club has also won 14 Finnish Cups and 6 Finnish League Cups . Many of Finland's most successful players have played for HJK before moving abroad. The club has also similar success with women's Kansallinen Liiga . HJK is the only Finnish club that has participated in the UEFA Champions League group stage. In 1998, they beat Metz in
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#17330848530381044-609: Is the national governing body and is responsible for overseeing all aspects of association football in the country, both professional and amateur. The federation organizes the Coupe de France and is responsible for appointing the management of the men's , women's , and youth national football teams in France . The federation gives responsibility of Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 to the Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) who oversee, organize, and manage
1131-520: Is the second division of French football. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the Championnat National . The league was created in 1934, a year after Ligue 1 and consisted of 23 clubs that were divided into two groups, Nord and Sud. Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain ranked fourth place in the top ten most popular sports clubs on social media in the world as of 7 February 2024: The Championnat National
1218-508: Is the third division of French football. Though the league has several clubs that are members of the Ligue de Football Professionnel, it is not governed by the organization primarily because of the LFP's refusal to divide its profits into smaller shares, so they can collaborate with the many amateur clubs in the league to help them become professional. The French Football Federation moderates the league, which
1305-570: Is to Division 3 Féminine , contested by 24 fully professional clubs split into two groups. The fourth level is Régional 1 Féminine. The leagues based in the overseas departments and territories of France are run by their respective associations under the watch of the French Football Federation. Under the rules of the FFF, clubs in the leagues are allowed to participate in confederation competitions based on their regional locations. For example,
1392-601: The 2022-23 season. On Pentecost Sunday, May 29, 2023, there was a dispute at a youth football tournament on the field of SV Viktoria Preußen e.V. in the Eckenheim district of Frankfurt am Main between young players from FC Metz and JFC Berlin, in which a 16-year-old Moroccan player from FC Metz killed a 15-year-old German player from JFC Berlin. On 12 June 2023, LFP Decision that FC Metz secure promotion to Ligue 1 from 2023–24 season after Bordeaux against Rodez has been suspended and return to top flight after one year absence. In
1479-559: The 2023–24 Ligue 1 season, Metz finished in the relegation/promotion playoff spot and faced off against AS Saint-Étienne from Ligue 2. Metz would lose the playoff 4-3 on aggregate and were relegated back to Ligue 2. Metz's biggest rivals are AS Nancy with whom they contest the Lorraine derby . The other major rivals are Racing Strasbourg . There are currently two ultras groups: Gradins Populaires Ouest and Horda Frénétik (founded 1997). FC Metz has fan friendships with Toulouse FC ,
1566-461: The Finnish Workers' Sports Federation . However, The club remained open to all 'honorable citizens' regardless of their native language, race or social class, and always had members from other communities as well. Before the 1970s HJK came to be known especially as a Töölöan club due to most of their activity taking place in this particular district. During recent decades the club's old image as
1653-515: The France national football team . All teams are run by their respective federation under the authority of the French Football Federation. As an overseas department of the French Republic , each national team is not a member of FIFA , therefore they are not eligible to enter the World Cup . However, since inhabitants of the overseas departments are French citizens, players are eligible to play for
1740-501: The France national football team . Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saint Martin, and French Guiana are associate members of CONCACAF and are full members of the Caribbean Football Union , and are thus eligible for all competitions organized by both, while Réunion are associate members of CAF . Indeed, according to the status of the FFF (article 34, paragraph 6): "[...]Under the control of related continental confederations, and with
1827-407: The France national under-16 football team and ending with the France national under-21 football team . Since the coaching tenure of Aimé Jacquet , there is an unwritten rule among senior national team coaches that players called up to the national team must have had prior international experience with the under-21 team. The following overseas department national teams act as feeder teams for
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#17330848530381914-453: The French second division north from 1933, winning the league in 1935 and earning promotion to Ligue 1 for the first time. The team became a mid-table side in the first division until the outbreak of the war interfered with play once more. FCM did not take part in the top-tier regional competitions in 1939–40. During World War II , due to the Moselle département being annexed by Germany,
2001-517: The Ligue du Football Amateur . The LFA, under the watch of the French Football Federation, is responsible for administering and federating the actions of the regional and district leagues. Division 1 Féminine is the top league for women's football clubs in France. Division 1 Féminine is ranked the best league in Europe according to UEFA . The league was originally created in 1918 by Alice Milliat and ran for 12 successful seasons until women's football
2088-797: The SpVgg Metz club, formed in 1905 when the city of Metz was part of the German Empire . SpVgg played in the tier-one Westkreis-Liga for a season in 1913–14, before the outbreak of the First World War stopped all play. Some players of this club were part of the Cercle Athlétique Messin in 1919, which went on to become FC Metz in 1932. Messin was a leading club in the Division d'Honneur – Lorraine , taking out league titles in 1920, 1921, 1922, 1924, 1926, 1927, 1929 and 1931. The club played in
2175-581: The play-off round to clinch their place in the competition for the following season . HJK have also participated twice in the group stages of the UEFA Europa League in 2014–15 and 2022–23 respectively, along with appearing three times in the UEFA Europa Conference League . The club's highest score in a European competition came during the 2011–12 season , with a 13–0 aggregate victory over Welsh champions Bangor City , which included
2262-423: The regional leagues . The twelve teams (both amateur and reserves of professional teams in higher divisions) that top their league are promoted to Championnat National 2. Relegation from Championnat National 3 is defined by both position in the group and the region the club belongs to. Normally, one club is relegated to each regional league that feeds that group. Some of regional leagues are organised and managed by
2349-458: The " Whites ", were killed. In 1921, the first bandy championship was won and during the following five seasons, HJK reached five finals, winning three more titles. Bowling was added to the club's repertoire in 1925, but the bowlers formed their own club, Helsingin Keilaajat, the following year. In 1928, ice hockey became an official sport and the first championship was won in 1929. League format
2436-465: The 38 professional football clubs that contest football in France (18 in Ligue 1 and 20 in Ligue 2). Ligue 1 is the French professional league for football clubs. It is the country's primary football competition and serves as the top division of the French football league system . Contested by 18 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with Ligue 2. Ligue 1 is one of the top national leagues, currently ranked fifth in Europe behind
2523-583: The Champions League earlier in the 1st qualifying round by Panevėžys , HJK managed to qualify for the UEFA Conference League new league phase, after defeating KÍ Klaksvík in the play-off round 3–2 on aggregate with two stoppage-time goals, making it the club's fourth consecutive appearance in the final phase of a European competition. During the club's European qualification campaign, Erwin scored five goals in six matches, including three goals over
2610-530: The English Premier League , Spanish La Liga , Italian Serie A , and the German Bundesliga . Ligue 1 was inaugurated on 11 September 1932 under the name National before switching to Division 1 after a year of existence. The name lasted until 2002 before switching to its current name. The current champions of France are Paris Saint-Germain , who won a record twelfth title in 2024 . Ligue 2
2697-617: The France national team. Lilian Thuram and Bernard Lama , who were born in Guadeloupe and Martinique , respectively, were a part of the winning team at the 1998 FIFA World Cup . Also on the team were Thierry Henry and Bernard Diomède , who, though born in metropolitan France, were descendants of parents from overseas departments. Currently, Florent Malouda (French Guiana), William Gallas , Mikaël Silvestre , Michaël Ciani (Guadeloupe), Nicolas Anelka (Martinique), and Guillaume Hoarau and Florent Sinama Pongolle (Réunion) are members of
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2784-500: The French amazingly." Modern football was introduced nine years later in 1872 by English sailors playing in Le Havre in 1872. Today, football in France is especially being played successfully by people of non-European origin, in particular people of Subsaharan origin and people from North Africa who are overrepresented in the Banlieue . The importance of players of non-European origin
2871-516: The German clubs Kaiserslautern and Eintracht Trier and the Italian club Vicenza . FC Metz plays its home matches at Stade Saint-Symphorien , which has a capacity of 25,636. Thus, it is the largest venue dedicated to football in Lorraine . Its official colours are grenat (maroon) and white, from which the team derives its nickname Les Grenats. The team's crest features the Lorraine cross , symbolic of
2958-562: The agreement of the FFF, those leagues can organize international sport events at a regional level or set up teams in order to participate to them." A special rule of the CONCACAF Gold Cup only allows players to join the team if they have not played for France during the previous five years. On the other hand, any player joining the team is allowed to join the France national team afterward with no time restrictions. The use of overseas department players has been extremely beneficial for
3045-507: The beginning of the new millennium , France have become a mid-tier national team and one of the most consistent in Europe , having qualified for their first-ever FIFA Women's World Cup in 2003 and reaching the quarter-finals in the last three consecutive European Championships. They also hosted the 2019 Women's World Cup , reaching the quarter-finals. The France national youth football teams consists of age-specific national teams beginning with
3132-489: The best example. Metz has never won the French championship; its best result was a second-place finish in 1998, behind Lens . The title race lasted until the ultimate fixture, however Metz never recovered from a 0–2 loss against Lens on their home turf. Metz won the Coupe de France twice, in 1984 and 1988, the first of these victories enabled it to qualify for the European Cup Winners' Cup where it achieved arguably
3219-523: The biggest rivalry being two of the oldest and most successful clubs. Both were also successful in Bandy which was major winter sport in the first half of the 20th century, KIF and HPS gained lesser success. Also in Ice Hockey clubs faced numerous times and played more seasons in first level than HPS or KIF. A match between these two clubs is called as Stadin derby . Language was the biggest separating factor between
3306-625: The champion of the Réunion Premier League is allowed inclusion into the CAF Champions League . The most important cup competition in France is the Coupe de France . However, several other national cups are targeted at clubs at different levels. The following teams have qualified for the last eight of the European Cup / UEFA Champions League . The France national football team represents France in international football. France
3393-518: The city. HJK were already founding youth teams to new suburbs in 1960s and their reputation as a Töölöan club was short lived. KIF and HPS were both struggling to survive and were both relegated to lower leagues after 1964 season and rapidly lost their support. KIF made a brief two season stint to first level in 1977–78. While both KIF and HPS are still active as of 2020, they have spend their recent decades playing in lower levels, HPS focusing more on youth football in northern Helsinki. HJK and HIFK share
3480-416: The city. The team is currently managed by Stéphane Le Mignan . Despite never winning the top flight, they have won the Coupe de France twice and the Coupe de la Ligue twice. FC Metz was founded in 23 March 1932 by the amalgamation of two amateur athletic clubs, and shortly thereafter became a professional team; it is one of the oldest professional football teams in France. Its roots trace back further, to
3567-539: The club announced that they had appointed Spanish coach Ferran Sibila as the manager of HJK on a two-year deal, starting in January 2024. On 21 December 2023, it was reported by Helsingin Sanomat that Sibila lacks the required UEFA Pro -coaching licence, and thus would not be eligible to work solely as a head coach in Veikkausliiga . The club's new sporting director Vesa Mäki , who was in charge of recruiting Sibila, said in
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3654-523: The club had to play under the Germanised name of FV Metz in the Gauliga Westmark . In the three completed seasons of this league from 1941 to 1944, the club finished runners-up each year. Despite the city of Metz being retaken by allied forces in autumn 1944, the club did not take part in French league football in 1944–45 but returned to Ligue 1 in 1945–46, to come 17th out of 18 clubs. An expansion of
3741-563: The club's first international match was played, against Eriksdals IF from Stockholm in Kaisaniemi. The first championship title was won in 1911. In 1915, the club moved to newly build Töölön Pallokenttä . In 1916, tennis was introduced as the third official sport in HJK, and it was played in the club until the early 1920s. During the Finnish Civil War in 1918, two HJK club members, fighting for
3828-470: The club's sixth official sport. HJK won one silver and two bronze medals in handball during the following three seasons but did not gain further success. Handball was first of HJK's sports where women also competed. The women's team played a total of 22 seasons at the highest level; their highest finish was fourth. In 1963, HJK played their last ever season in the second level of the football pyramid, winning 20 out of 22 matches and scoring 127 goals. In 1964,
3915-553: The clubs, HIFK was the club of choice for the Swedish speaking population of the city and HJK for the Finnish speaking. In 2015 HIFK was promoted back to the top flight after 40 years of struggling in the lower leagues having played their last season in the top division in 1972. Since HJK ceased their activity in other sports during the 1960s and 1970s the rivalry faded away on a large scale and in recent decades many even supported both clubs at
4002-406: The colours blue and white were chosen to support the fennoman movement and bandy was introduced as the club's second official sport. The club moved from Kaisaniemi Ground to the new Eläintarha Stadium . At the end of the year, Fredrik Wathen was forced to leave his post as the club's chairman due to illness. In 1910, Lauri Tanner became the longest-running club chairman to date. The same year,
4089-427: The country's top two leagues. The LFP is also responsible for organizing the Coupe de la Ligue , the country's league cup competition. The French Football Federation also supervises the overseas departments and territories leagues and hosts football club AS Monaco , a club based in the independent sovereign state of Monaco . In 2022, the FFF had 2.1 million licensees, 1.8 million players and 14,000 registered clubs,
4176-450: The end of the 2011–12 season, Metz finished 18th in Ligue 2 and were relegated to the Championnat National , the third tier of French football after a 1–1 draw with Tours at home on 20 May 2012, in very tense circumstances. Metz spent only one season at this level, rebuilding a team with iconic former player Albert Cartier as coach, winning promotion to Ligue 2, and then immediately finishing first and winning promotion to Ligue 1. The team
4263-418: The estimated 130,000 professional football players worldwide, 6,368 originated from France, the third highest number in the world after Brazil (10,694) and Mexico (9,223). The top two divisions of French football, Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 , are governed by the Ligue de Football Professionnel . The league is responsible for organizing, overseeing and managing the top two leagues and is also responsible for
4350-589: The finals (which were both won by HJK). Both clubs also performed well in the European competitions. In 1996 both the Lahti clubs merged and FC Lahti was born, HJK and FC Lahti matches are more known from outside pitch activities, some crowd disturbances and small fights have occurred which otherwise are rare in Finnish football. Due to a relatively short distance between the two cities, these matches often draw more notable away support than others. HJK and Valkeakosken Haka are
4437-403: The first division. FC Metz made a strong return to this league, finishing fifth in its first season back. After this, the club once more had to battle against relegation season-by-season, finishing second-last in 1958 and having to return to Ligue 2. It took three seasons in this league before it could manage to return to Ligue 1 in 1961, but lasted for only one year in the top flight. FC Metz spent
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#17330848530384524-424: The first time of asking by finishing first in Ligue 2. The promotion was confirmed with a 2–1 victory over Red Star . In the clubs first season back in the top flight, Metz finished 15th on the table followed by an improved 10th place finish the following season. In the 2021–22 Ligue 1 season, Metz finished 19th and were relegated back to Ligue 2 . The club were promoted back to Ligue 1 as Ligue 2 runners-up for
4611-431: The fourth straight season, on a goal difference against KuPS . After the season, the club announced that Korkeakunnas will not receive a contract extension, and that the new manager would be announced soon. It was also announced earlier in late August 2023, that sporting director Miika Takkula departs from the club. In September, Vesa Mäki was named as his replacement as a new sporting director. On 3 November 2023,
4698-536: The group stage of the UEFA Champions League after defeating Metz in the second qualifying round . The club also managed a respectable five points in their group, defeating Benfica at home and earning draws at home to 1. FC Kaiserslautern and away to Benfica. They lost to PSV twice and to Kaiserslautern away. The club's current home stadium, the Bolt Arena , was opened in 2000. The 20th championship title
4785-485: The inner city and after 1940s also from Töölö , in its early years HPS Support came from same areas as HJK. Later in 1940s and 1950s when HJK support shifted more towards Töölö area, HPS gained more support in Vallila and Alppila districts, this was mostly due their youth activities taking part in those particular areas, these boundaries were not strict however and each of the four clubs had support, players and members across
4872-457: The late 1960s and the early 1970s. Multiple Helsinki based clubs have played in the league but due to their short term visits and relatively low support base large scale rivalries were never born. Some notable clubs were Ponnistus , FinnPa , Pallo-Pojat and Helsingin Toverit . HJK has competed against Lahti based clubs from the 1960s, between 1964 and 1980 HJK and Lahden Reipas had
4959-440: The league success they had enjoyed for the last six seasons, finishing the 2015 season in third place, behind champions SJK and runners-up RoPS . During the 2017 campaign the club lost only three games, which resulted in a domestic double. HJK won the 2018 Veikkausliiga, 16 points clear at the top. HJK failed to win the 2019 championship, as KuPS won the league. HJK's season was unusually unsuccessful, manager Mika Lehkosuo
5046-475: The league to 20 clubs meant, the team was not relegated and stayed at the highest level until 1950, when a last place finish ended its Ligue 1 membership. Metz was allowed to stay within Ligue 1 as a special privilege due to its catastrophic situation in the year following the war: the stadium had been damaged, almost beyond repair. The team had to start from scratch once again. The club rebounded immediately, finishing second in Ligue 2, behind Lyon and returned to
5133-563: The licence requirements set by Veikkausliiga , Finnish FA and UEFA . On 12 January 2024, HJK appointed Ossi Virta as the club's new interim head coach, until Sibila is able to attend the UEFA Pro -class. During the 2024 pre-season, reigning Veikkausliiga Top Goalscorer Bojan Radulović was sold to Huddersfield Town for £1.2 million and Defender of the Year Tuomas Ollila was acquired by Paris FC . On 20 May 2024, Ferran Sibila and
5220-512: The media that Sibila is going to start the required UEFA Pro -training in February 2024 in Sweden, or the club could name their assistant coach Ossi Virta as an associate head coach with Sibila. On 3 January 2024, it was reported in Swedish media that Sibila was not granted a spot in the aforementioned UEFA Pro -training class by Swedish FA . The next day, HJK announced that the club will comply with
5307-483: The national team who either hail from or whose families hail from the overseas departments. Stadiums with a capacity of 40,000 or higher are included. Helsingin Jalkapalloklubi Helsingin Jalkapalloklubi ( lit. ' Helsinki's Football Club ' ), commonly known as HJK Helsinki ( Swedish : HJK Helsingfors ), or simply as HJK ( Finnish pronunciation; hoo-jii-koo ),
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#17330848530385394-488: The newly promoted club won their tenth championship title and the following season, in 1965–66 , they played their first European Cup match, against Manchester United at the Helsinki Olympic Stadium . However, a 2–9 aggregate loss resulted in HJK's elimination from the competition. In 1966, the club secured their first ever cup title by winning KTP 6–1 in the final in front of 7,000 spectators. Bandy section
5481-477: The next five seasons at second division level. FC Metz ascended to the top level of French football once more in 1967; the team remained in the highest division until they were relegated in 2001, although they bounced back immediately and returned to the Ligue 1 the following year. After losing the first leg of their 1984–85 European Cup Winners' Cup tie 4–2 to Barcelona at Stade Saint-Symphorien, FC Metz were widely expected to be thrashed at Camp Nou . However,
5568-558: The notable former players who have represented Metz in league and international competition since the club's foundation in 1932. To appear in the section below, a player must have played at least a full season for the club. Football in France Association football is the most popular sport in France . In 2024, 53% of people in France declared an interest in football, with 26% being very interested. The French Football Federation (FFF, Fédération Française de Football)
5655-446: The play-off round. HJK's group included Italian AS Roma , Spanish Real Betis , and Bulgarian Ludogorets . Despite valiant home performances, HJK performed poorly on the road, losing all three away games with a total goal difference of 0–7. HJK ended the campaign fourth in the group with a single point, from a 1–1 draw to Ludogorets at home. HJK started the 2023 Veikkausliiga season relatively poorly, and eventually head coach Koskela
5742-422: The same time, HJK in football and HIFK in ice hockey. However, due to the rise of the Finnish supporter scene in the 2000s, there is a high tension between the most vocal supporters. HJK shared a short but fierce rivalry with FC Jokerit around the late 1990s and the early 2000s. Jokerit were well supported due to their popular ice hockey section and the clubs also competed against each other in ice hockey in
5829-494: The second highest number of registered players in Europe after Germany . The first football club was introduced to France in 1863 as described in a newspaper article by The Scotsman , which stated "A number of English gentlemen living in Paris have lately organised a football club... The football contests take place in the Bois de Boulogne , by permission of the authorities and surprise
5916-697: The sporting director Vesa Mäki were both sacked and Toni Korkeakunnas was appointed the head coach of the first team again. Winger Topi Keskinen joined Aberdeen FC in August for an estimated transfer fee of around €1 million. During the summer of 2024, as has become routine, HJK made a slate of transfers mid-season as the team’s form remained poor. The club brought in striker and former Veikkausliiga golden boot winner Lee Erwin , goalkeeper Thijmen Nijhuis , centre-backs Georgios Antzoulas and Daniel O'Shaughnessy , midfielder Kevor Palumets , and wingers Alessandro Albanese and Ozan Kökcü . Despite being knocked out of
6003-814: The team's greatest moment, an upset of Barcelona in the first round of the competition in October 1984. It lost 4–2 at home in the first leg but won 4–1 away in the return leg, thus qualifying 6–5 on aggregate, making Metz unique among the French teams who have beaten Barcelona at the Camp Nou . Metz also won the Coupe de la Ligue twice, in 1986 and 1996, and has made a total of ten appearances in European tournaments. Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules . Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules . Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. Below are
6090-510: The team's regional affiliation, and the dragon called the Graoully , which in local legend was tamed by Saint Clement of Metz . FC Metz also gained recognition in France and Europe for its successful youth academy, which produced star players including: Rigobert Song , Robert Pires , Louis Saha , Emmanuel Adebayor , Papiss Cissé , Miralem Pjanić , Kalidou Koulibaly , and Sadio Mané . The city's proximity to Luxembourg (about 55 km) plays
6177-695: The tournament on three occasions, including their victorious 1984 campaign. Following France's 2001 Confederations Cup victory, they became the first national team to win the three most important men's titles organised by FIFA : the FIFA World Cup , the FIFA Confederations Cup , and the Olympic Tournament . This would be followed with Argentina and Brazil 's victories at the Summer Olympics in 2004 and 2016. France additionally went on to win
6264-537: The two games against Klaksvik. After HJK was not able to defend their championship and had finished third in Veikkausliiga, in late October 2024 the club appointed Petri Vuorinen the new sporting director to fill the vacancy. In 1910, HJK arranged competition to find a crest for club, but the club board wasn't happy with the proposals. The crest was finally designed by Osmo Korvenkontio in 1913, it has only gone through minor changes during history. First kit of HJK
6351-622: The two most successful clubs in Finnish football, HJK with 27 league and 12 cup titles and Haka with 9 league and 12 cup titles. The match is also considered as "urban vs. rural" rivalry as HJK is a club from Finland's biggest city Helsinki and Haka is representing the small town of Valkeakoski . Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules . Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules . Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. HJK's reserve team Klubi 04 currently plays in
6438-412: The winter of 2015, including Córdoba forward Mike Havenaar , J-league playmaker Atomu Tanaka and Birmingham City holding midfielder Guy Moussi . With the new signings on their side, HJK began the season on a high by winning the league cup, a feat they had not accomplished since 1998. HJK also played its first local derby against HIFK since April 1972, drawing 1–1. However, HJK could not replicate
6525-430: Was a remarkable 11th in 15 years. The club has also fared well in European competitions under Koskela. During the 2021 season, HJK qualified for the 2021–22 UEFA Europa Conference League group stage, where they finished 3rd in the group with six points. During the 2022 season, HJK qualified for the 2022–23 UEFA Europa League for only the second time in the club's history, by defeating Silkeborg IF 2–1 on aggregate in
6612-507: Was banned in France . The league was refounded in 1974 and officially reinstated in 1975. It is contested by 12 clubs. The league operates on a system of promotion and relegation with lower leagues and is governed by the French Football Federation . The league is known as D1 Arkema. Lyon has won the most league titles at 16. Division 2 Féminine is the second-tier of French women's football, contested by 12 clubs. Relegation
6699-408: Was changed back to striped by the end of the year and has remained so ever since. HJK Helsinki supporters Historically HJK had a wide support within Finnish speaking, prosperous middle class of Helsinki. The club's supporters were often nationalistic after the fashion of almost every other Finnish FA club at the time. Leftist working class' clubs played their own leagues and competitions under
6786-433: Was disbanded in the late 1960s. The last official sport, figure skating , was added into the club's repertoire in 1966, was abolished in 1972. The ice hockey section was also disbanded in 1972 and the last season in handball was played in 1978. Hereafter, HJK therefore only participated in football following 69 years as a multisport club. The 1998–99 season saw HJK become the first and, to date, only Finnish club to play in
6873-490: Was dismissed, following a 1–0 home victory against Larne FC in the Champions League qualifiers in July. Koskela was replaced by his last season's assistant coach Toni Korkeakunnas . Korkeakunnas led HJK to a third consecutive European group stage, advancing to the 2023–24 UEFA Europa Conference League , by defeating Romanian champions Farul Constanța in the play-off round 3–2 on aggregate. HJK also renewed their league title for
6960-513: Was founded in 1993 under the name National 1 . Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the Championnat de France amateur . The Championnat National 2 is the fourth division of French football and normally features 72 football clubs. Most clubs that participate in the league are amateur clubs, but a small number of clubs are semi-professional. The CFA consists of 72 clubs spread into 4 parallel groups of 18. It
7047-571: Was introduced to Finnish football in 1930 but HJK failed to qualify for the first season. In 1931, HJK played their first season in the league, however at the end of the season, they were relegated. During World War II, HJK lost 22 members serving in the military, of which nine fell in the Winter War , twelve in the Continuation War and one in the Lapland War . In 1943, handball was introduced as
7134-543: Was one of the four European teams that participated at the inaugural World Cup in 1930 and are one of eight national teams to have won the competition, which they did in 1998 when they hosted the Cup, defeating Brazil 3–0 in the final . They won their second world title 20 years later, after defeating Croatia 4–2 in the final of the 2018 edition in Russia. France also won two European Championships in 1984 and 2000 , and hosted
7221-561: Was plain white shirt, black shorts and black socks with few white horizontal stripes on top. In 1909 HJK introduced its trademark blue and white striped shirt. Blue and white colours were homage to fennoman movement . Black trunks still remained for decades. Shirt was changed to unicolour blue for season 1973 due to pressure from sponsors. In attempt to professionalize hockey department club had fallen in to financial despair and sponsors demanded more visibility for their logos. Clubs financial situation had improved by 1986 and due fans demands shirt
7308-468: Was played against Ekenäs IF in Ekenäs . HJK won 2–4. Early on, HJK became popular amongst Finnish-speaking students, while Swedish-speaking students preferred to play mainly for Unitas or HIFK . In late 1908, after a heated debate, the language was switched to unilingually Finnish and this resulted in many Swedish-speaking members switching over to HIFK and other clubs, although a few chose to stay. In 1909,
7395-438: Was relegated again to Ligue 2, but won promotion the next season. This time, Metz managed to secure a 14th place finish, ensuring another season in Ligue 1. For the 2017–18 Ligue 1 season, Metz endured a horrid campaign, losing eleven out of their first twelve matches. The club recovered later in the season but finished bottom of the table and were relegated back to Ligue 2. On 26 April 2019, Metz were promoted back to Ligue 1 at
7482-531: Was replaced by Toni Koskela mid-season, and the club finished in a disappointing 5th place in the league with 37 points. During the season, HJK named Miika Takkula their new sporting director in July. Koskela's first three full seasons have seen HJK win three titles in a row, including the club's 30th championship in 2020. HJK also won the Finnish cup in 2020. For the 2022 season, HJK loaned in some new additions like Conor Hazard , Nassim Boujellab , Bojan Radulović and Malik Abubakari . The club's 2022 title
7569-473: Was won in 2002, and in 2008 the club won its tenth Finnish Cup title. The 2009 season was the start of a championship run that resulted in six titles in a row from 2009 to 2014. In 2014, HJK became the first Finnish club to play in the UEFA Europa League group stage after defeating Rapid Wien in the play-off round . HJK, with wins over Torino and Copenhagen at home, finished third in their group with six points. HJK made several acquisitions during
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