Cercle Sportif Fola Esch (), usually abbreviated to Fola Esch or simply Fola, is an association football club based in Esch-sur-Alzette, in south-western Luxembourg. They play their home games at Stade Émile Mayrisch, in the south of the city, which they share with their sister athletics club CA Fola Esch. They currently compete in the .

History Founded on 9 December 1906 by the English language teacher Jean Roeder, Fola was the first football club in Luxembourg. During its heyday, it was the best club in the country, winning four National Division championships and two Luxembourg Cups between 1918 and 1924. Fola won another championship in 1930 and the Luxembourg Cup in 1955, but had since this time lost its place in Luxembourg's top flight.

Fola stubbornly rejected a merger with its larger neighbours, Jeunesse Esch, during the wave of consolidation in the 1990s. In 2004–05, Fola were relegated to the third tier of Luxembourgish football, but were promoted the following season. In 2006–07 they finished third, qualifying for a promotion play-off, which they lost to Victoria Rosport. In August 2007, Fola pulled off a transfer coup by signing former Morocco midfielder Mustapha Hadji.

In 2008, the club managed to secure second place in the championship, granting them promotion to the Fortis League (National Division, the top league in the country, renamed BGL League in March 2009 due to the 2008 financial crisis).Luxembourg 2007/08 – RSSSF

In May 2013, CS Fola Esch won the National Division with a historic 5–1 win against their rivals, Jeunesse Esch in the 25th match of the season. The club had a gap of 83 years since their last championship. Stefano Bensi scored 20 goals during this season.

Fola participated in the second qualifying round of the Champions League 2013–14, but lost to Dinamo Zagreb 0–5 in the first leg (at home) and 0–1 in the second leg (away). In 2015, Fola won the championship again, after finishing second in 2014. In 2016 they again finished second with an equal number of points with the champions, F91 Dudelange.

In 2016 CS Fola Esch, celebrated their 110th birthday, and also became a member of the exclusive Club of Pioneers, as the oldest football club of Luxembourg.

History 1906: Club founded as Football and Lawn Tennis Club Esch 1907: Adopts current colours of red and white stripes 1910: Absorbs FC Nerva, becoming Cercle sportif Fola Esch 1918: Wins first championship title 1924: Wins the Double 1930: Wins last championship title for the next 83 years 1935: Moves to current stadium, Stade Émile Mayrisch 1955: Wins Luxembourg Cup, a tournament Fola have not won since 1973: First participation in European competition (season 1973–74) 2013: Wins first championship in 83 years, followed by another champion title in 2015 2017: First qualification to the second round and to the third round in European competition

Honours

National Division Champions (8): 1917–18, 1919–20, 1921–22, 1923–24, 1929–30, 2012–13, 2014–15, 2020–21 Runners-up (10): 1916–17, 1918–19, 1920–21, 1928–29, 1948–49, 1953–54, 1954–55, 2010–11, 2013–14, 2018–19

Luxembourg Cup Winners (3): 1922–23, 1923–24, 1954–55 Runners-up (2): 1972–73, 2016–17

European competition Coefficient

Rank Country Team 290 Shakhtyor 3.500 291 Laçi 3.500 292 Fola Esch 3.500 293 Cherno More 3.000 294 Radnički 1923 3.000

Playing Record

Competition Pld W D L GF GA UEFA Champions League 7 0 2 5 3 19 UEFA Europa League 19 3 5 11 17 34 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 2 0 0 2 1 11 UEFA Europa Conference League 7 4 0 3 9 11 Total 35 7 7 21 30 75

Matches Season Competition Round Club Home Away Aggregate 1973–74 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1R Beroe Stara Zagora 0–7 1–4 1–11 2011–12 UEFA Europa League 1Q Elfsborg 1–1 0–4 1–5 2013–14 UEFA Champions League 2Q Dinamo Zagreb 0–5 0–1 0–6 2014–15 UEFA Europa League 1Q Göteborg 0–2 0–0 0–2 2015–16 UEFA Champions League 2Q Dinamo Zagreb 0–3 1–1 1–4 2016–17 UEFA Europa League 1Q Aberdeen 1–0 1–3 2–3 2017–18 UEFA Europa League 1Q Milsami Orhei 2–1 1–1 3–2 2Q Inter Baku 4–1 0–1 4–2 3Q Östersund 1–2 0–1 1–3 2018–19 UEFA Europa League 1Q Prishtina 0–0 0–0 0–0 (5–4p) 2Q Genk 1–4 0–5 1–9 2019–20 UEFA Europa League 1Q Chikhura Sachkhere 1–2 1–2 2–4 2020–21 UEFA Champions League 1Q Sheriff Tiraspol 0–2 UEFA Europa League 2Q Ararat-Armenia 3–4 (aet) 2021–22 UEFA Champions League 1Q Lincoln Red Imps 2–2 0–5 2–7 UEFA Europa Conference League 2Q Shahktyor Soligorsk 1–0 2–1 3–1 3Q Linfield 2–1 2–1 4–2 PO Kairat 1–4 1–3 2–7 2022–23 UEFA Europa Conference League 1Q Tre Fiori 0–1 1–3 1–4

Current squad

(on loan from Kehlen)

Former coaches Manager Appointed Dismissed Henri Bossi 1 July 1988 30 June 1989 Henri Bossi 23 September 1993 30 June 1994 Pascal Welter 19 February 2000 5 November 2002 Philippe Guérard 10 November 2005 25 March 2006 Michael Lofy 1 July 2008 23 March 2009 Pascal Welter 13 April 2009 16 October 2009 Philippe Guérard 26 October 2009 31 October 2010 Jeff Strasser 2 November 2010 22 December 2010 Cyril Serredszum 22 December 2010 30 January 2012 Jeff Strasser 1 July 2012 26 September 2017 Cyril Serredszum 27 September 2017 4 February 2018 Thomas Klasen 5 February 2018 16 August 2018 Jeff Strasser 16 August 2018 18 May 2020 Sébastien Grandjean 18 May 2020 unknown Arnaud Bordi present

Women's team Fola have a women's team, competing in the Dames Ligue 2, the 2nd tier of women's football in Luxembourg. As yet, the women's team have not been as successful as their male counterparts, as they have not won any honours.

References

External links

CS Fola Esch at football-lineups.com Club Profile at FLF.lu