Other intricate questions about foreign players appeared along with the vast drama of the championship . French rules were typical for the time – two foreign players may appear in a single match. But a list of foreigners playing in any given year was larger and more than two often appeared in the same game. Most of them were Africans from former French colonies, thus, considered domestic. Some were with dual citizenship, some were not. Some played for the national teams of their countries, some did not. It was not so clear why almost all of them were equalized to French players – there was always a tiny minority of Africans considered just foreign players, to whom the rules applied. Some other players – South Americans and Eastern Europeans – naturalized and once French citizens they were no longer foreign. Yet, they were listed as foreign in statistical books – and looked like some were subjected to the rule for foreign players. France was not as confusing as Spain, but still it was difficult to figure out who was French and who was import. France was traditional big importer of foreigners, so they were many, playing at almost any level of the football pyramid. Some were famous, some not at all – the variety made for strange contrasts sometime. To a point, the class of the imports decided to current fate of a club. Smaller clubs depended more on their foreigners than the bigger ones, but the imports were not the all-decisive factor.
The season had unfortunate outsider anchored at the last 20th place – Rouen. Years ago Rouen was more esteemed member of first division, but in the1970s they were almost constant outsider, more likely to be relegated than soar. And relegated they were, finishing the season with measly 18 points. No wonder – they lost 26 matches. The 19th club had 14 points more.
The more than modest squad practically explains why they finished last – some known names, like Horlaville, but no stars. The picture is a bit misleading: Rouen got two well known players in the summer of 1977 – the forward Yves Triantafilos from Nantes, and the former Yugoslavian national team defender Petar Krivokuca from Iraklis (Thesaloniki, Greece). Both were past their prime, though. Not much of a help. The other foreigner was Jorge Trezeguet, an Argentine, born 1951. It is very doubtful he was remembered in home land, unless one recalls scandals – Trezeguet, an ordinary player, moved from club to club without making enough impression, but he was involved in a doping scandal in the first half of the decade. At first he was found guilty and penalized, then he was considered innocent and the penalty was voided. But doubts lingered and since he was not a star, clubs became reluctant to hire him. He went to France. Once again he was not exactly a revelation on the pitch and perhaps most French were not even aware he was a foreigner: he was not making headline news and his name is French. He eventually naturalized, or so it appear nowadays, for is often mention as ‘French-Argentine’. May be so, may be not – he returned to Argentina eventually. But he was French enough… for his famous son David Trezeguet is French. All of that had no positive impact on Rouen… Right after the season’s end Triantafilos packed for Greece, where he made his name in the beginning of the 1970s – apparently, second division was not to his taste, but he was not his former self either and ended in modest Kalitea.
Above them seven clubs fretted to the last moment. Three ended with 31 points, three with 32, and one with 33. Half of them were usually found in similar situation at the bottom of the table – Nimes (13th), Valenciennes (14th), and Troyes, getting the short stick this time – 19th and relegated. Reims was steadily sinking in the 1970s and their 15th place was hardly a surprise – by this year, Reims was quite similar to three clubs already mentioned. Bordeaux was not in great health in the 1970s, yet, hardly the outsider they were this season – 16th, with 32 points and the worst goal-difference among the clubs with same points. The last two clubs from the unfortunate group were different – Lyon, normally strong, suddenly plummeted down. May be accidentally, may be as a result of wrong transfers, hard to tell. Lens was traditionally unpredictable – one of those French clubs playing great one year and awfully the next. Going straight from the top of the league to relegation and from second division – to almost title contenders. This season the only concern of these seven clubs was survival and it was more of survival of luckiest, not of the fittest. At the last day three four clubs breathed easy, escaping by one or two points. Three clubs ended with 31 points – only one was to survive. It was Lyon, thanks to rather good goal-difference: 56-59. For Lens and Troyes it was mere protocol, since both were relegated – Troyes had the worst goal-difference and took the 19th place.
To a point, it was surprising that Troyes had a chance of survival – their team was very similar, if not worse, than Rouen’s. Troyes fought bravely, considering the team they had, but unfortunately lost the battle.
If Troyes had no team to speak of, Lens was different.
Surely not a great squad, but no doubt a descent one. A mid-table quality, nothing fancy, but nothing pathetic either. Daniel Leclercq, Bousdira, Elie, the former Polish international Joachim Marx… and Didier Six, the exciting winger, playing for France and often seen as better option than Rocheteau. And the old Uruguyan defender Juan Martin Mujica, who was there and not there, playing about 5 matches in two years, a far cry from his good performance at 1970 World Cup. Inconsistent as ever, this year Lens just went down. Yet, the same team just as easily would have aiming at the medals… Lens were – and pretty are – an enigma. They fought for survival, came close, but it was terrible season first and foremost. From the three relegated, Lens was the only club with good players and expected to gain promotion the next year. Troyes and Rouen were most likely to stay down, unless buying a whole bunch of new better players.