Olympique de Marseille

Olympique de Marseille is a football team that plays in Ligue 1, the top level of the French Football League, based in Marseille. Founded in 1899, Marseille has won 9 French championships and 10 French Cups. The club also won the Champions League in 1993, defeating A.C. Milan in the final, only to be stripped of the domestic title that they had won in the same season following a match fixing scandal involving then president Bernard Tapie.

Related Topics:
Football - Ligue 1 - French - Marseille - Champions League - 1993 - A.C. Milan - Bernard Tapie

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In 1994, they suffered forced relegation to the second division due to financial irregularities. By 1996, backed by Adidas boss Robert Louis-Dreyfus, the club had worked their way back to the top flight. The team regularly fills their imposing home of the Stade Vélodrome, which seats 60,000. Marseille's vast support continues to show unwavering and impressive loyalty to the club, despite having several average seasons since their return to the top flight. The fans continue to hope that Marseille will regain its former glory.

Related Topics:
1994 - The second division - Adidas - Robert Louis-Dreyfus - Stade Vélodrome

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The best-supported club in France, and the only French team to date that has managed to win the Champions League, Marseille is quite possibly the largest and most successful club in France. The club has not won a major trophy in over a decade, however. The closest Marseille have got to another trophy was when they reached the UEFA Cup Final in 2004, impressively beating Inter Milan, Liverpool and Newcastle United along the way, largely thanks to the efforts of Didier Drogba. But they were beaten in the final by newly-crowned Spanish champions Valencia and once again fans were forced to continue waiting for the next cup to come along. They also lost Drogba to Chelsea, selling him for £24.5 million.

Related Topics:
UEFA Cup - 2004 - Inter Milan - Liverpool - Newcastle United - Didier Drogba - Valencia - Chelsea

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Recently, Marseille succeeded in winning the 2005 Intertoto Cup, beating the likes of SS Lazio and Deportivo La Coruna in doing so, and earning another shot at the UEFA Cup. In their recent seasons back in Ligue 1, Marseille have been beaten regulary by rival teams such as Olympique Lyon, AS Monaco FC and Paris Saint Germain, as chances for a title appear to be growing ever slimmer. With a nightmare start to the 2005/06 Ligue 1 season, it looks like Marseille's title challenge has gone once again for another year.

Related Topics:
2005 - Intertoto Cup - SS Lazio - Deportivo La Coruna - Ligue 1 - Olympique Lyon - AS Monaco FC - Paris Saint Germain

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