When Small Clubs Ran Riot: Saint Étienne

Small town clubs dominated football during the 1960s and 1970s. That was the case throughout the continent, but it was especially true in France. If French club football has been all about Lyon over the past decade, then Ligue 1 in the 20th century belonged to one club and one club only: AS Saint-Étienne. In fact, when the game’s intellectuals analyze the evolution of the French game which culminated with their World Cup victory in 1998, they invariably begin their story many decades earlier at this small club in the Loire Valley.

So, in our ongoing look at the small clubs who once reigned supreme, we’ve got to ask “Who the heck are Saint-Étienne?”

Those were the days: Les petit garçons all across France used to dream of growing up and playing for “Les Verts.” On match days, the passion at the Geoffroy-Guichard ground was so intense that it was known as “the Green Cauldron.” But it wasn’t all fire and brimstone. The press used to get their match-day meal catered by a local chef whose restaurant had three Michelin stars.

The Trophy Cabinet: Between 1967 and 1981 Saint-Étienne won the Ligue 1 title eight times and the French Cup five times. They also made it to the final of the European Cup, defeating powerhouses Rangers, Dynamo Kiev, and PSV Eindhoven along the way. (They lost the final 1-0 to Bayern Munich.)

The Stars: The teams of the 70s generally culled together local talent such as Dominique Rocheteau – a lethal attacker nicknamed the “Green Angel” – and Aimé Jacquet – a resilient defensive midfielder who later became France’s World Cup winning coach. The team was also home to the best African player at the time, Mali’s Salif Keita, who averaged nearly a goal a game. Michel Platini also donned the fabled green and white during the middle of his career, before leaving for Juventus.

What Happened? The team’s reputation suffered a serious blow in 1982 when the team’s president was sent to jail for not declaring all the club’s gate receipts in order to pay players under the table. Then it wasn’t long before the club was languishing in the second division. But regardless of this financial scandal, Saint-Étienne’s best days were numbered – just like all the other little clubs who did so well in the 1970s before transfer fees and television rights ballooned.

More Scandals Than a Night Out with Amy Winehouse: Humiliation struck the club again in 2001, when Brazilian striker Alex and the Ukrainian goalkeeper Maksym Levytsky were suspended for four months for the use of fake passports. (Alex was holding a Portuguese one and Levytsky had a Greek one in his possession.) At the end of an inquiry that linked some of the management staff to the forgeries, Saint-Étienne were deducted seven points, causing them to be relegated to the Second Division.

Those were the days: Dominique Rocheteau in full flow at Anfield in 1977