History
The tournament in its current format started in 1994. Entrance to the UEFA Cup, now called the UEFA Europa League, is offered to the winning team. Its first winner was Paris Saint-Germain, after their 2–0 victory over Bastia. The first final decided by a penalty shootout was the 1996 cup when Metz beat Olympique Lyonnais. The first three finals were held at Parc des Princes; since the 1998 cup, all finals have been held at the Stade de France. Strasbourg and Paris Saint-Germain have won the competition at both stadiums. Gueugnon became the first team below the top division of France to win the cup after beating Paris Saint-Germain in the 2000 final. Overall, there have been 14 winners of the competition since 1995. The most successful teams, in terms of competitions won, are Bordeaux, Paris Saint-Germain and Marseille, who have won the cup thrice. The current holders of the cup are Marseille, who beat Lyon in the 2012 Final and became the first club to win the cup three times in a row.
Read more about this topic: Coupe De La Ligue
Famous quotes containing the word history:
“In history the great moment is, when the savage is just ceasing to be a savage, with all his hairy Pelasgic strength directed on his opening sense of beauty;—and you have Pericles and Phidias,—and not yet passed over into the Corinthian civility. Everything good in nature and in the world is in that moment of transition, when the swarthy juices still flow plentifully from nature, but their astrigency or acridity is got out by ethics and humanity.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“It’s a very delicate surgical operation—to cut out the heart without killing the patient. The history of our country, however, is a very tough old patient, and we’ll do the best we can.”
—Dudley Nichols, U.S. screenwriter. Jean Renoir. Sorel (Philip Merivale)
“The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles.”
—Karl Marx (1818–1883)