2011–12 Ligue 1


The 2011–12 Ligue 1 season was the 74th since its establishment. Lille were the defending champions. The league schedule was announced on 31 March 2011 and the fixtures were determined on 10 June. The season began on 6 August 2011 and ended on 20 May 2012. The winter break was in effect from 22 December 2011 to 14 January 2012.
On 20 May 2012, the final day of the league season, Montpellier clinched its first-ever league title after defeating Auxerre 2–1 at the Stade de l'Abbé-Deschamps. Montpellier was the fifth different club to win Ligue 1 since the 2006–07 season and qualified for the UEFA Champions League for the first time in its history. Paris Saint-Germain and Lille were the country's other Champions League participants, while Lyon, Bordeaux, and Marseille represented France in the UEFA Europa League. Lyon did not participate in UEFA's top football club competition for the first time in 12 years.
Auxerre, Dijon, and Caen were relegated to Ligue 2. Auxerre returned to the second division after 32 consecutive years playing in Ligue 1. Prior to the 2011–12 season, the club had never suffered relegation from the country's top division. Dijon returned to the second division after only one season in Ligue 1, while Caen fell to the second tier after two years in the first division.

Teams

There were three promoted teams from Ligue 2, replacing the three teams that were relegated from Ligue 1 following the 2010–11 season. A total of 20 teams competed in the league with three clubs suffering relegation to the second division, Ligue 2. All clubs that secured Ligue 1 status for the season were subject to approval by the DNCG before becoming eligible to participate.
Arles-Avignon was the first club to suffer relegation from the first division to Ligue 2. The club's impending drop occurred on 17 April 2011 following the team's 2–0 defeat to AS Monaco. The negative result made it mathematically impossible for Arles to seize the 17th position in the table, which would have allowed the club to remain in Ligue 1. Arles-Avignon made its return to Ligue 2 after only a year's spell in the top division of French football. On 15 May, Lens were relegated from the first division to Ligue 2 after its 1–1 draw with Monaco. Lens returned to Ligue 2 for the first time since the 2008–09 season when the club finished as champions of the league. On the final day of the Ligue 1 season, Monaco suffered relegation to the second division after losing 2–0 to Lyon. The club's appearance in Ligue 2 was its first since 1976.
Evian became the first club from Ligue 2 to achieve promotion to Ligue 1 after its 2–1 victory over Reims on 20 May 2011. Evian made its debut in the first division and, similar to Arles-Avignon the previous season, the club's ascension to the first division is notable due in part to the fact that it has achieved successive promotions in four straight seasons. On the final day of the Ligue 2 season, both Dijon and Ajaccio earned berths in the first division after posting positive results in their respective matches. Dijon was promoted despite losing on the match day and, similar to Évian, made its debut in the top division of French football. Ajaccio returned to Ligue 1 after five seasons in the second division.

Stadia and locations

ClubLocationVenueCapacityAverage Attendance
AjaccioStade François Coty10,6606,338
AuxerreStade de l'Abbé-Deschamps24,49311,879
BordeauxStade Chaban-Delmas34,46220,712
BrestStade Francis-Le Blé16,00013,542
CaenStade Michel d'Ornano21,50015,280
DijonStade Gaston Gérard15,99813,597
AnnecyParc des Sports15,60011,855
Villeneuve-d'AscqStadium Nord Lille Métropole18,18516,969
LorientStade du Moustoir18,89015,594
LyonStade de Gerland41,84233,108
MarseilleStade Vélodrome142,00040,455
MontpellierStade de la Mosson32,90017,492
TomblaineStade Marcel Picot20,08515,328
NiceStade du Ray17,4159,133
ParisParc des Princes48,71242,892
RennesStade de la Route de Lorient31,12720,725
Saint-ÉtienneStade Geoffroy-Guichard226,74721,409
MontbéliardStade Auguste Bonal20,00513,826
ToulouseStadium Municipal35,47022,033
ValenciennesStade du Hainaut25,00015,226

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players and managers may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
TeamManager1Captain1Kit Manufacturer1Main Sponsor1
Ajaccio :fr:Duarig|DuarigRestaurant Du Cœur
Auxerre
Bordeaux PumaKia
Brest NikeQuéguiner
Caen NikeGDE Recyclage
Dijon Abdoulaye MéïtéNikeDoras,INEO
Evian KappaDanette
Lille UmbroGroupe Partouche
Lorient MacronLa trinitaine
Lyon adidasEverest Poker
Marseille adidasBetClic
Montpellier NikeSud de France la Région.fr
Nancy Umbro
Nice BURRDA
Paris Saint-Germain Carlo Ancelotti NikeEmirates
Rennes PumaSamsic
Saint-Étienne adidasWinamax
Sochaux Éric Hély LottoMobil 1
Toulouse KappaIDEC
Valenciennes UhlsportToyota

1 Subject to change during the season.

Managerial changes

Ownership changes

ClubNew ownerPrevious ownerDate
Paris Saint-Germain Qatar Investment Authority Colony Capital and Butler Capital Partners1 7 2011

League table

Positions by round

Results

Statistics

Top goalscorers

RankPlayerClubGoals
1 Olivier GiroudMontpellier21
1 NenêParis Saint-Germain21
3 Eden HazardLille20
4 Pierre-Emerick AubameyangSaint-Étienne16
4 Lisandro LópezLyon16
6 Bafétimbi GomisLyon14
6 Yoan GouffranBordeaux14
8 Javier PastoreParis Saint-Germain13
9 Loïc RémyMarseille12
9 Younès BelhandaMontpellier12

Last updated: 20 May 2012
Source:

Assists table

RankPlayerClubAssists
1 Eden HazardLille15
2 Mathieu ValbuenaMarseille13
3 Jérémy MénezParis Saint-Germain12
4 NenêParis Saint-Germain11
5 Julien FéretRennes10
6 Olivier GiroudMontpellier9
7 Michel BastosLyon8
7 Cédric BarbosaEvian8
7 Marvin MartinSochaux8
10 Frédéric BulotCaen7

Last updated: 20 May 2012
Source:

Hat-tricks

PlayerForAgainstResultDate
AuxerreSochaux25 9 2011
MontpellierDijon15 10 2011
Paris Saint-GermainAjaccio16 10 2011
MontpellierSochaux26 11 2011
Saint-ÉtienneLorient22 2 2012
Paris Saint-GermainRennes13 5 2012
LilleNancy
20 5 2012

Scoring

Monthly awards

Annual awards

UNFP Ligue 1 Player of the Year

The UNFP Ligue 1 Player of the Year was awarded to Eden Hazard.

UNFP Young Player of the Year

The UNFP Young Player of the Year was awarded to Younès Belhanda.

UNFP Ligue 1 Goalkeeper of the Year

The UNFP Goalkeeper of the Year was awarded to Hugo Lloris.

UNFP Team of the Year

Goalkeeper: Hugo Lloris

Defence: Mathieu Debuchy, Hilton, Henri Bedimo, Nicolas N'Koulou

Midfield: Rio Mavuba, Étienne Capoue, Younès Belhanda, Eden Hazard

Attack: Olivier Giroud, Nenê

UNFP Ligue 1 Manager of the Year

The UNFP Manager of the Year was awarded to René Girard of Montpellier.

Number of teams by region

List of 2011–12 transfers