2009–10 Ligue 2 Explained

The Ligue 2 2009–10 season was the sixty-ninth^[1] edition since its establishment. The fixtures were announced on 5 June 2009,^[2] and the league began on 7 August and ended on 14 May 2010.^[3]

German sportswear company Puma became the official provider of match balls for the season after agreeing to a long term partnership with the Ligue de Football Professionnel.^[4]

Promotion and relegation

Teams relegated from 2008–09 Ligue 1

• 18th Place: Caen
• 19th Place: Nantes
• 20th Place: Le Havre

Teams promoted to 2009–10 Ligue 1

• Champions: Lens
• Runners-up: Montpellier
• 3rd Place: Boulogne

Teams promoted from 2008–09 Championnat National

• Champions: Istres
• Runners-up: Laval
• 3rd Place: Arles-Avignon

Teams relegated to 2009–10 Championnat National

• 18th Place: Amiens
• 19th Place: Reims
• 20th Place: Troyes

DNCG Ruling on Arles-Avignon

All clubs that secured status for Ligue 2 play this season had to be approve by the DNCG before becoming eligible to participate.^{[5] [6]}

On 23 June, the DNCG ruled that AC Arles-Avignon would not be allowed to play in Ligue 2 following their promotion from the Championnat National, due to irregularities in the club's financial accounts and management.^[7] On 3 July, following an appeal, the DNCG reversed its decision reinstating Arles' Ligue 2 status.^[8]

League table

Statistics

Top goalscorers

Rank	Player	Club	Goals
1	Olivier Giroud	Tours	21
2	Anthony Modeste	Angers	20
3	Sebastián Ribas	Dijon	16
4	Nolan Roux	Brest	15
5	Pierre-Yves André	Bastia	14
6	Lynel Kitambala	Dijon	13
	Nicolas Fauvergue	Strasbourg
	Titi Buengo	Châteauroux
	Mamadou Diallo	Le Havre
	Alexis Allart	Sedan

Last updated: 3 June 2010
Source: Ligue 2

Assists table

Rank	Player	Club	Assists
1	Benjamin Nivet	Caen	11
2	Benjamin Psaume	Arles-Avignon	10
	Bruno Grougi	Brest
4	Fatih Atik	Tours	9
	Jérôme Lebouc	Laval

Last updated: 3 June 2010
Source: Ligue 2

Scoring

• First goal of the season: Magaye Gueye for Strasbourg against Châteauroux, 1 minute and 20 seconds. (7 August 2009).^[9]
• Fastest goal in a match: 8 seconds – Rémi Maréval for Nantes against Nîmes. (26 September 2009).^[10]
• Goal scored at the latest point in a match: 90+2 minutes and 36 seconds – Nolan Roux for Brest against Laval (7 August 2009)^[11]
• First own goal of the season: Thomas Mienniel (Angers) for Châteauroux, 38 minutes and 27 seconds (18 August 2009)^[12]
• First penalty kick of the season: 5 minutes and 27 seconds – Jérôme Lebouc (scored) for Laval against Brest (7 August 2009).^[13]
• First hat-trick of the season: Christophe Gaffory for Bastia against Nîmes (18 August 2009);,, .^[14]
• Most goals scored in a game by one player: 4 goals by Olivier Giroud for Tours against Arles-Avignon (18 September 2009);,,, .^[15]
• Widest winning margin: 5 goals
  • Bastia 6–1 Nîmes (18 August 2009).^[14]
  • Nantes 5–0 Istres (21 August 2009).^[16]
• Most goals in a match: 9 goals
  • Dijon 5–4 Châteauroux (30 October 2009).^[17]
• Most goals in one half: 5 goals
  • Dijon v Châteauroux (30 October 2009); 1–3 at half time, 5–4 final.^[17]

Discipline

• First yellow card of the season: Yvan Bourgis for Brest against Laval, 5 minutes and 37 seconds (7 August 2009)^[11]
• First red card of the season: Vincent Bessat for Metz against Vannes, 57 minutes and 43 seconds (7 August 2009)^[18]
• Card given at latest point in a game: Wahbi Khazri (yellow) at 90+4 minutes and 9 seconds for Bastia against Caen (14 August 2009)^[19]
• Total cards in a single match: 9
  • Nantes 5–0 Istres – 6 for Nantes (Ibrahim Tall, William Vainqueur (yellow), Tenema N'Diaye, William Vainqueur (red), Ivan Klasnić, & Stefan Babović) and 3 for Istres (Mamadou Doumbia, Faouzi El Brazi, & Adel Chedli) (21 August 2009)^[16]
• Most yellow cards in a single match: 9
  • Ajaccio 0–1 Guingamp – 5 for Ajaccio (Kévin Diaz, Thierry Debès, Jean-Philippe Sabo, Thomas Deruda, & Jonathan Martins) and 4 for Guingamp (Alharbi El-Jadeyaoui, Felipe Saad, Sébastien Grax, & Christian Bassila) (7 August 2009)^[20]
• Most red cards in a single match: 3 – Bastia 6–1 Nîmes – 1 for Bastia (Mehdi Méniri) and 2 for Nîmes (Moussa Sidibé & Miodrag Stošić) (18 August 2009)^[14]

Awards

The nominees for the Player of the Year, Goalkeeper of the Year, and Manager of the Year in Ligue 2. The winner was determined at the annual UNFP Awards, which was held on 9 May.^[21] The winners are displayed in bold.

Player of the Year

Player	Nationality	Club
Benjamin Nivet	France	Caen
Olivier Giroud	France	Tours
Nolan Roux	France	Stade Brest
Anthony Modeste	France	Angers

Goalkeeper of the Year

Player	Nationality	Club
Benoît Costil	France	Sedan
Steeve Elana	France	Stade Brest
Cyrille Merville	France	Arles-Avignon
Aléxis Thébaux	France	Caen

Manager of the Year

Manager	Nationality	Club
Franck Dumas	France	Caen
Alex Dupont	France	Stade Brest
Michel Estevan	France	Arles-Avignon
Philippe Hinschberger	France	Laval

Team of the Year

Position	Player	Club
Goalkeeper		Brest
Defender		Brest
Defender		Caen
Defender		Sedan
Defender		Caen
Midfielder		Brest
Midfielder		Caen
Midfielder		Laval
Forward		Brest
Forward		Tours
Forward		Angers

Team information

Club	Chairman	Manager	Appointed
Ajaccio			2009–
Angers			2006–
Arles			2009–
Bastia			2009–
Brest			2009–
Caen			2004–
Châteauroux			2009–
Clermont			2009–
Dijon			2009–
Guingamp			2007–
Istres			2008–
Laval			2007–
Le Havre			2009–
Metz			2010–
Nantes			2010–
Nîmes			2008–
Sedan			2008–
Strasbourg			2009–
Tours			2007–
Vannes			2002–

Stadiums

Last updated: 15 May 2010^[22]

Team	Stadium	Capacity	Avg. attendance
Ajaccio		12,000	2,123
Angers		16,300	6,591
Arles	Parc des Sports[23] [24]	7,500	4,141
Bastia		12,000	2,836
Brest		10,228	7,702
Caen		21,500	13,199
Châteauroux		17,000	6,407
Clermont		10,363	4,429
Dijon		7,900	5,420
Guingamp		18,126	10,780
Istres		17,468	2,235
Laval		18,703	6,679
Le Havre		16,400	8,244
Metz		26,700	11,232
Nantes		38,285	15,814
Nîmes		18,482	8,265
Sedan		23,189	8,984
Strasbourg		29,230	11,328
Tours		13,500	5,639
Vannes		8,000	4,291

External links

• French League Official Site
• Ligue 2 Official Page

Notes and References

1. News: Palmares . Ligue de Football Professionel . lfp.fr . 18 May 2009 . 26 May 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20091020202212/http://www.frenchleague.com/ligue2/historique/palmares.asp . 20 October 2009 . dead .
2. News: Les calendriers 2009/2010 de Ligue 1 et Ligue 2 dévoilés . Ligue de Football Professionel . lfp.fr . 5 June 2009 . 5 June 2009 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090608050118/http://www.lfp.fr/actualiteLFP/lireArticle.asp?idArticle=13392 . 8 June 2009 .
3. News: Le calendrier général de la saison 2009/2010 . Ligue de Football Professionel . lfp.fr . 5 June 2009 . 5 June 2009 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090505060436/http://www.lfp.fr/communique/lireArticle.asp?idArticle=12606 . 5 May 2009 .
4. News: Les ballons officiels Ligue 1 – Ligue 2 révélés . LFP . Ligue de Football Professionnel . 5 June 2009 . 5 June 2009 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090607073426/http://www.lfp.fr/actualiteLFP/lireArticle.asp?idArticle=13384 . 7 June 2009.
5. The DNGC is responsible for overseeing the legal and financial accounts of professional and amateur football clubs in France. If clubs operating in the football leagues of France don't meet the DNGC's expectations, they can face sanctions, such as relegation.
6. News: LFP: DNCG . Ligue de Football Professionel . lfp.fr . 5 June 2009 . 5 June 2009 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090603073237/http://www.lfp.fr/dncg/ . 3 June 2009 .
7. News: Les décisions du mardi 23 juin . Ligue de Football Professionel . lfp.fr . 23 June 2009 . 23 June 2009 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090626104531/http://www.lfp.fr/dncg/lireArticle.asp?idArticle=13506 . 26 June 2009.
8. News: Arles-Avignon repêché par la DNCG . L'Equipe . 3 July 2009 . 3 July 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090704045228/http://www.lequipe.fr/Football/breves2009/20090703_095746_arles-avignon-repeche-par-la-dncg.html . 4 July 2009 . dead.
9. News: Strasbourg v. Chateauroux Match Report . LFP . 7 August 2009 . 15 August 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090811035038/http://www.lfp.fr/ligue2/feuilleMatch.asp?saison=2009%2F2010&code_evt=D2&num_ordre=8&code_jr_tr=J01 . 11 August 2009 . dead.
10. News: Strasbourg v. Chateauroux Match Report . LFP . 26 September 2009 . 28 September 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090927073603/http://www.lfp.fr/ligue2/feuilleMatch.asp?saison=2009%2F2010&code_evt=D2&num_ordre=8&code_jr_tr=J08 . 27 September 2009 . dead.
11. News: Brest v. Laval Match Report . LFP . 7 August 2009 . 15 August 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090810015242/http://www.lfp.fr/ligue2/feuilleMatch.asp?saison=2009%2F2010&code_evt=D2&num_ordre=3&code_jr_tr=J01 . 10 August 2009 . dead.
12. News: Angers v. Chateauroux Match Report . LFP . 18 August 2009 . 18 August 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090818205942/http://www.lfp.fr/ligue2/feuilleMatch.asp?saison=2009%2F2010&code_evt=D2&code_jr_tr=J03&num_ordre=1 . 18 August 2009 . dead.
13. News: Brest v. Laval Match Report . LFP . 7 August 2009 . 21 August 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090810015242/http://www.lfp.fr/ligue2/feuilleMatch.asp?saison=2009%2F2010&code_evt=D2&num_ordre=3&code_jr_tr=J01 . 10 August 2009 . dead.
14. News: Bastia v. Nimes Match Report . LFP . 18 August 2009 . 18 August 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090818205948/http://www.lfp.fr/ligue2/feuilleMatch.asp?saison=2009%2F2010&code_evt=D2&code_jr_tr=J03&num_ordre=2 . 18 August 2009 . dead.
15. News: Tours v. Arles-Avignon Match Report . 18 September 2009 . 18 September 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090903040829/http://www.lfp.fr/ligue2/feuilleMatch.asp?saison=2009%2F2010&code_evt=D2&code_jr_tr=J07&num_ordre=9 . 3 September 2009 . dead.
16. News: Nantes v. Istres Match Report . LFP . 21 August 2009 . 21 August 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090826092515/http://www.lfp.fr/ligue2/feuilleMatch.asp?saison=2009%2F2010&code_evt=D2&num_ordre=9&code_jr_tr=J04 . 26 August 2009 . dead.
17. News: Dijon v. Châteauroux Match Report . LFP . 30 October 2009 . 30 October 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20091102043859/http://www.lfp.fr/ligue2/feuilleMatch.asp?saison=2009%2F2010&code_evt=D2&num_ordre=3&code_jr_tr=J13 . 2 November 2009 . dead.
18. News: Vannes v. Metz Match Report . LFP . 7 August 2009 . 15 August 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090811035033/http://www.lfp.fr/ligue2/feuilleMatch.asp?saison=2009%2F2010&code_evt=D2&num_ordre=10&code_jr_tr=J01 . 11 August 2009 . dead.
19. News: Bastia v. Caen Match Report . LFP . 14 August 2009 . 15 August 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090814181538/http://www.lfp.fr/ligue2/feuilleMatch.asp?saison=2009%2F2010&code_evt=D2&num_ordre=2&code_jr_tr=J02 . 14 August 2009 . dead.
20. News: Ajaccio v. Guingamp Match Report . LFP . 7 August 2009 . 15 August 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090810021218/http://www.lfp.fr/ligue2/feuilleMatch.asp?saison=2009%2F2010&code_evt=D2&num_ordre=1&code_jr_tr=J01 . 10 August 2009 . dead.
21. News: Tous les nommés! . UNFP . 30 April 2010 . 30 April 2010 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100502140021/http://www.unfp.org/a-la-une/actualite-detaillee/cat/19/article/trophees-2010-tous-les-nommes.html . 2 May 2010 .
22. News: AFFLUENCES Par Club . Ligue de Football Professionel . lfp.fr . 5 June 2009 . 5 June 2009.
23. Temporary stadia as AC Arles' home stadia doesn't meet the LFP's standards and requirements.
24. News: L'AC Arles veut jouer à Avignon . L'Equipe . 5 June 2009 . 5 June 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090623045606/http://www.lequipe.fr/Football/breves2009/20090604_172129_l-ac-arles-veut-jouer-a-avignon.html . 23 June 2009 . dead.