Dijon Football Côte d'Or (; ), 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, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
club based in
Dijon
Dijon (, ; ; in Burgundian language (Oïl), Burgundian: ''Digion'') is a city in and the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Côte-d'Or Departments of France, department and of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Regions of France, region in eas ...
. 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 reasons, 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 de Football Prof ...
after suffering relegation from
Ligue 1
Ligue 1 (; ), officially known as Ligue 1 McDonald's France, McDonald's for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in France and the highest level of the French football league system. Administered by the Ligue de ...
in the 2011–12 season. The club earned promotion back to Ligue 1 at the end of the
2015–16 season, remained for five seasons before two relegations in three years saw the club relegated out of the professional leagues at the end of the 2022–23 season. 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 (soccer), football matches and is the home stadium of Dijon FCO. The stadium is able to hold 15,459 people.
A stadium renovation began in 2016, intende ...
.
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 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, again on the last day of the season. The same year DFCO beat
Alès
Alès () is a Communes of France, commune and Subprefectures in France, subprefecture in the Gard Departments of France, department in the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania Regions of France, region in Southern France. Until 1926, i ...
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 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 (), also known in English language, English as the French Cup or less commonly as the France Cup, is the premier Single-elimination tournament, knockout cup competition in French football organised by the French Football Fed ...
, beating
Saint-Étienne
Saint-Étienne (; Franco-Provençal: ''Sant-Etiève''), also written St. Etienne, is a city and the prefecture of the Loire département, in eastern-central France, in the Massif Central, southwest of Lyon, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes regi ...
(L2),
Lens
A lens is a transmissive optical device that 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 Departments of France, department of Marne (department), Marne, and the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, 12th most populous city in Fran ...
(L2) and
Amiens
Amiens (English: or ; ; , or ) is a city and Communes of France, commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme (department), Somme Departments of France, department in the region ...
(L2) before losing to
Châteauroux
Châteauroux ( ; ; ) 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
Châteauroux te ...
(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 reasons, 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 de Football Prof ...
.
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 reasons, 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 de Football Prof ...
. The club also achieved the exploit of beating
Bordeaux
Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...
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 knockout cup competition in French football organized by the Ligue de Football Professionnel. The tournament was established in 1993 and, unlike the Coupe de France ...
.
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 left to manage
Le Mans
Le Mans (; ) is a Communes of France, city in Northwestern France on the Sarthe (river), Sarthe River where it meets the Huisne. Traditionally the capital of the Provinces of France, province of Maine (province), Maine, it is now the capital of ...
. 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.
Club career
During his career, Hadžibegić played for hometown club Sarajevo, Real Betis, Sochaux and Toulouse. He was an important member ...
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 Ajaccien (), commonly referred to as AC Ajaccio, ACA or simply Ajaccio, is a French professional football club based in the city of Ajaccio on the island of Corsica. The club was founded in 1910 and plays in the Ligue 2, the sec ...
. The same year, the club reached the quarter finals of the
Coupe de France
The Coupe de France (), also known in English language, English as the French Cup or less commonly as the France Cup, is the premier Single-elimination tournament, knockout cup competition in French football organised by the French Football Fed ...
for the first time, but lost to
Amiens
Amiens (English: or ; ; , or ) is a city and Communes of France, commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme (department), Somme Departments of France, department in the region ...
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 Association football, footballer who played as a midfielder for FC Nantes, Nantes, Olympique Lyonnais, Lyon, RC Lens, Lens, and Dijon FCO, Dijon.
Club career
Carrière sta ...
, as well as
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Pierre-Emerick Emiliano François Aubameyang (born 18 June 1989) is a professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Striker (association football), striker for Saudi Pro League club Al Qadsiah FC, Al-Qadsiah and Captain (associat ...
on loan from
A.C. Milan
(), commonly referred to as Milan or AC Milan () mainly outside of Italy, is an Italian professional Football club (association football), football club based in Milan, Lombardy. Founded in 1899, the club competes in the Serie A, the top tie ...
. 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 (), also known in English language, English as the French Cup or less commonly as the France Cup, is the premier Single-elimination tournament, knockout cup competition in French football organised by the French Football Fed ...
Dijon lost against the Ligue 1 team
Grenoble
Grenoble ( ; ; or ; or ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of the Isère Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region ...
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.
Club career
During his career, Hadžibegić played for hometown club Sarajevo, Real Betis, Sochaux and Toulouse. He was an important member ...
, 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 reasons, 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 de Football Prof ...
.
Ligue 1 (2011–2012)
Dijon played in
Ligue 1
Ligue 1 (; ), officially known as Ligue 1 McDonald's France, McDonald's for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in France and the highest level of the French football league system. Administered by the Ligue de ...
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 (; ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Resnn''; ) is a city in the east of Brittany in Northwestern France at the confluence of the rivers Ille and Vilaine. Rennes is the prefecture of the Brittany (administrative region), Brittany Regions of F ...
at home, scoring its first goal and recording its first defeat (1–5). The following Saturday, DFCO lost to
Toulouse
Toulouse (, ; ; ) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Haute-Garonne department and of the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania region. The city is on the banks of the Garonne, River Garonne, from ...
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 ( , ; , also ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of the Haute-Savoie Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, regi ...
against
Evian Thonon-Gaillard (0–1), but then lost against
Lyon
Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...
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 (; ) 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 France, department of ...
(1–1), and beating
Marseille
Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...
(2–1) on 17 March 2012, but internal conflicts and poor performances by leading players such as
Benjamin Corgnet and ex-
Chelsea player
Gaël Kakuta weighed heavily at the end of the season. After a win against
SM Caen (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 (; ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Resnn''; ) is a city in the east of Brittany in Northwestern France at the confluence of the rivers Ille and Vilaine. Rennes is the prefecture of the Brittany (administrative region), Brittany Regions of F ...
(5–0) and were officially relegated to
Ligue 2
Ligue 2 (, League 2), also known as Ligue 2 BKT due to sponsorship reasons, 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 de Football Prof ...
, accompanied by their local rivals,
Auxerre
Auxerre ( , , Burgundian language (Oïl), Burgundian: ''Auchoirre'') is the capital (Prefectures in France, prefecture) of the Yonne Departments of France, department and the fourth-largest city in the Burgundy historical region southeast of Par ...
. 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 McDonald's France, McDonald's for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in France and the highest level of the French football league system. Administered by the Ligue de ...
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 McDonald's France, McDonald's for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in France and the highest level of the French football league system. Administered by the Ligue de ...
, 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
The 2018–19 Ligue 1 season, also known as Ligue 1 Conforama for sponsorship reasons, was the 81st season since its establishment. The season began on 10 August 2018 and concluded on 24 May 2019. Paris Saint-Germain were the defending champions. ...
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 reasons, 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 de Football Prof ...
side
RC Lens
Racing Club de Lens (), commonly referred to as RC Lens or simply as Lens, is a French professional football club based in the northern city of Lens in the department of Pas-de-Calais. The club's nickname, ''Les Sang et Or'' (), comes from i ...
. 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 McDonald's France, McDonald's for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in France and the highest level of the French football league system. Administered by the Ligue de ...
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 reasons, 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 de Football Prof ...
in the
2020–21 Ligue 1 season, following a 5–1 defeat to
Stade Rennais 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)
Players
First team
Out on loan
Coaching staff
Coaching history
*
Noël Tosi (1998–99)
*
Daniel Joseph (1999–01)
*
Mario Relmy (2001–02)
*
Rudi Garcia (2002–07)
*
Serge Romano (June 2007 – December 2007)
*
Frédéric Bompard (December 2007)
*
Faruk Hadžibegić
Faruk Hadžibegić (; born 7 October 1957) is a Bosnian professional football manager and former player.
Club career
During his career, Hadžibegić played for hometown club Sarajevo, Real Betis, Sochaux and Toulouse. He was an important member ...
(December 2007 – June 2009)
*
Patrice Carteron (July 2009 – May 2012)
*
Olivier Dall'Oglio (2012–2018)
*
Antoine Kombouaré (2019)
*
Stéphane Jobard (2019–2020)
*
David Linarès (2020–2021)
*
Patrice Garande
Patrice Garande (born 27 November 1960) is a French former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Forward (association football)#Striker, striker, currently a Manager (association football), manager.
Playing career Club
Bo ...
(2021–2022)
*
Omar Daf
Omar Daf (born 12 February 1977) is a Senegalese Association football, football Manager (association football), manager and former player who is currently the head coach of club Amiens SC, Amiens. A Senegal national football team, Senegal inter ...
(2022–2023)
*
Pascal Dupraz (2023)
*
Benoît Tavenot (2023–present)
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 architecture, 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 ...
, 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