1970-1978
In 1970, Lille returned to the second division. The club faced a record debt at the time, 700,000 francs. The financial situation was so bad that a committee was developed to solve the problem. To cut the debt, Les Dogues played several friendly matches to bring in revenue. They played notable clubs such as Anderlecht, Olympique de Marseille, and Standard de Liège. The club’s economic stability was better, but it still failed to stay in the top division. Soon they were relegated to the second division worsening the debt. At the end of the 1972/1973 season, the city of Lille takes over the club through Société d’Économie Mixte after it was revealed that the club has a debt of 6 million francs.

1978-1997
Financial stability returns to LOSC, but the club still struggles on the pitch. Les Dogues finish between 6th and 17th in the league table the top division. President Lecomte takes over the club in 1994 and the club soon falls into financial austerity. After the 1996/1997 season, the club is again relegated to the second division. The Lille political leaders decide to privatize the club.

1998 to present
Luc Dayan became president of the club in 2000 then later was replaced in 2001 by Francis Graille. LOSC Lille Métropole went back up to Ligue 1 after the first year the club was privatized. The following year, the club had success in the UEFA cup 2001-2002. In 2002, Claude Puel becomes the new entraîneur (coach).In 2004, the club’s shares were sold resulting in two new major shareholders, Michel Seydoux and Isidore Partouche. The following year, Lille continued its success in Europe and received good results in Ligue 1 (2nd in 2004/2005, and 3rd in 2005/2006).

In 2006/2007, Lille had a disappointing season. It was LOSC’s first advancement to the UEFA Champions League Knockout stage. EUROSPORT says that the club digested the Champions League defeat against Manchester United badly. A controversial goal scored by Ryan Giggs sealed the first leg match for Manchester United and helped them obtain an away goal. Lille protested the goal, and was turned down by the UEFA Control and Disciplinary Body. Lille instead received a €60,742 fine for “violation of binding safety and security provisions” (UEFA). The goal infuriated the Lille players. Several of them walked off the pitch during the closing minutes of the first leg match. The club played a disheartened 2nd leg match at Old Trafford. Manchester United advanced to the quarterfinals with a 2-0 aggregate over LOSC. Then the club’s season in the domestic league went downhill. The club did very well in the first half of the season.

Lille floated around the top 5 rankings in the league table for a very long time, but after the CL loss, Les Dogues never regained their composure. They ended their season 10th in the table, nowhere near the Champions League spots of Ligue 1. Their last 10 matches of the season consisted of a whopping 8 defeats, 1 draw, and a mere 2 victories. Throughout LOSC’s history the club has lived in the shadow (as some say) to their region rival RC Lens. The club has endured a lot in its lifetime. I hope they can continue to progess and fight. ALLEZ LES DOGUES!

“Nous avons conscience que tout n’a pas fonctionné à 100% comme nous l’aurions souhaité. Le groupe a réalisé un gros début de saison mais il n’a pas été simple de gérer plusieurs compétitions en même temps notamment la Champions League” (We are aware that all did not function at 100% as we would have wished. The club experienced great success at the beginning of the season, but it is not easy to manage several competitions at the same time notably the UEFA Champions League).
-Kader Keita (former LOSC striker, currently plays for Olympique Lyonnais)

Keita is right that it can be very difficult to perform well in numerous competitions at the same time. During the last season, I felt that Puel relied more on the Champions League than the domestic league (Ligue 1). However, it seems to me like Keita was making an excuse for the club’s poor Ligue 1 season. Lille was officially eliminated from the CL in early March. Shouldn’t that be enough time for the club to return its focus to Ligue 1?

Video of Giggs Goal: