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Football Club de Metz, commonly referred to as simply Metz ((:mes)), is a French association football club based in Metz, Lorraine. The club was formed in 1932 and plays in Ligue 2, the second level in the French football league system, having spent most of its history in Ligue 1. Metz plays its home matches at the Stade Municipal Saint-Symphorien located within the city. The team is managed by José Riga. == History == FC Metz was founded in 1932 by the amalgamation of two amateur athletic clubs, and shortly thereafter became a professional team; it is one of the oldest professional football teams in France. Its roots trace back further, to the ''SpVgg Metz'' club, formed in 1905 when the city of Metz was part of the German Empire. ''SpVgg'' played in the tier-one ''Westkreis-Liga'' for a season in 1913–14, before the outbreak of the First World War stopped all play. Some players of this club were part of the ''Cercle Athlétique Messin'' in 1919, which went on to become FC Metz in 1932. ''Messin'' was a leading club in the ''Division d'Honneur – Lorraine'', taking out league titles in 1920, 1921, 1922, 1924, 1926, 1927, 1929 and 1931.〔(France – Division d'Honneur – Lorraine 1919–1932 ) RSSSF.com, accessed: 17 May 2009〕 The club played in the French second division north from 1933, winning the league in 1935 and earning promotion to Ligue 1 for the first time.〔(France – List of Final Tables Second Level ) RSSSF.com, accessed: 17 May 2009〕 The team became a mid-table side in the first division until the outbreak of the war interfered with play once more. ''FCM'' did not take part in the top-tier regional competitions in 1939–40.〔(France – First Division Results and Tables 1932–1998 ) RSSSF.com, accessed: 17 May 2009〕 During the 2nd World War, the Moselle département being annexed by Germany, the club had to play under the Germanised name of ''FV Metz'' in the ''Gauliga Westmark''. In the three completed seasons of this league from 1941 to 1944, the club finished runners-up each year.〔(French clubs in the German football structure 1940–1944 ) RSSSF.com, accessed: 31 May 2008〕 Despite the city of Metz being retaken by allied forces in autumn 1944, the club did not take part in French league football in 1944–45 but returned to Ligue 1 in 1945–46, to come 17th out of 18 clubs. An expansion of the league to 20 clubs meant, the team was not relegated and stayed at the highest level until 1950, when a last place finish ended its Ligue 1 membership. Metz was allowed to stay within L1 as a special privilege due to its catastrophic situation in the year following the war: the stadium had been damaged, almost beyond repair. The team had to start from scratch once again. The club rebounded immediately, finishing second in Ligue 2, behind Olympique Lyon and returned to the first division. FC Metz made a strong return to this league, finishing fifth in its first season back. After this, the club once more had to battle against relegation season-by-season, finishing second-last in 1958 and having to return to Ligue 2. It took three seasons in this league before it could manage to return to Ligue 1 in 1961, but lasted for only one year in the top flight. FC Metz spent the next five seasons at second division level. FC Metz ascended to the top level of French football once more in 1967; the team remained in the highest division until they were relegated in 2001, although they bounced back immediately and returned to the Ligue 1 the following year. In 2006 they were relegated again, finishing at the bottom of the table, despite the regular presence of an extremely promising prospect, Miralem Pjanic, who would later be transferred to giants Lyon, for an astonishing fee of 7,5 million euros. . In 1998 the team competed in the qualifications to the Uefa Champions League but lost in the third round to Finnish team HJK Helsinki. Finally Metz once finished 18th of Ligue 2 and relegated to National, third tier of French football after 1–1 draw with FC Tours at home match on 20 May 2012, in very tense circumstances. FC Metz plays its home matches at the stade Saint-Symphorien, which has a capacity of 26,700. Thus, it is the largest venue dedicated to football in Lorraine. Its official colours are grenat (maroon) and white, from which the team derives its nickname Les Grenats. The team's crest features the Lorraine cross, symbolic of the team's regional affiliation, and the dragon called the ''Graoully'', which in local legend was tamed by Saint Clement of Metz.〔(The Graoully, symbol of Metz )〕 pr FC Metz also gained recognition in France and Europe for its successful youth academy, which produced star players including: Rigobert Song, Robert Pirès, Louis Saha, Emmanuel Adebayor, Papiss Cissé, Miralem Pjanić, Kalidou Koulibaly, and Sadio Mané. The city's proximity to Luxembourg (about 55 km) plays a significant role in the importation of young prospects. The club's board has close ties with the Luxembourgish Football Federation. Nicolas "Nico" Braun, the team's top all-time goalscorer, as well as Miralem Pjanic or, closer to our times, Chris Philipps, have played in the G-D's amateur leagues before joining "les Grenats". Despite this, not all Luxembourgers enjoy success with Metz, with Robert "Robby" Langers as the best example of that, however. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「FC Metz」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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