Group B. Two notes: Olympique Lyon was very likely under some kind of suspension, because they finished 2nd, but did not play promotion/relegation play-off. Limoges finished finished 7th, but was relegated – very likely for financial problems. All together 4 teams were relegated from this group – as opposed to only 2 from Group A.
Beziers – last with 12 points and relegated.
Bourget – 17th with 22 points. Relegated.
Thonon – 16th with 24 points. Relegated.
Martigues – 15th with 27 points.
Istres – 14th with 29 points.
Gazelec Ajaccio – 13th with 29 points.
Le Puy – 12th with 30 points. Hugo Bargas now a coach, after long playing career.
Gueugnon – 11th with 33 points.
Cieseaux Louhans – 10th with 34 points.
Montceau – 9th with 34 points.
Sete – 8th with 35 points. Bathenay playing here now.
Limoges – 7th with 36 points, but relegated to Third Division.
Nimes Olympique – with Dutch former national team player Poortvliet and coached by AZ’67 star of five years ago Nygaard, but 6th with 38 points.
Bastia – 5th with 41 points.
Olympique Ales – 4th with 43 points. Standing from left: Lavagne (coach), Barberat, Ravail, Julian, Gudimard, Vacle, Alphon-Leyre, Andrieu, Valadier, Vigneau, Dussuyer, Jouanne.
Crouching: Carpeggianni, Elie, Gaba, Dall’Oglio, Jouglard, Dubourdeaux, Boissier, Florent, Devot.
Cannes – 3rd with 45 points. Call them lucky… they were not supposed to be in the promotion race, but Olympique Lyon was ineligible. Why the second-placed team in Group A was not allowed is unclear – may be Cannes eliminated them, who knows? Anyhow, Cannes went to the relegation/promotion play-off against Sochaux, beat the First Division team and earned promotion. Not a bad squad, after all: the ancient (now) French star Emon and two aging, but still strong Yugoslavs – Primorac and Savic.
Olympique Lyon – 2nd with 48 points. Top position apparently was not up to this rather insignificant squad, but their strength – or lack of it – hardly mattered, since they were ineligible for promotion. More or less, the current state of affairs is summed up by the presence of Topalovic – once upon a time a rival of Schumacher in 1.FC Koln, but gradually slipping out of site and mind.
Montpellier won the championship with 52 points. 22 wins, 8 ties, 4 lost games, 73-25 goal-difference. Confident victory, achieved by not bad for Second Division squad – of the two Hungarians, Torocsik departed quickly, but Laszlo Kiss,the Yugoslav Nenad Stojkovic, Cameroonian Roger Milla, and young talent Laurent Blanc provided enough class. Thus, Montpellier returned to top flight.
Good luck to newly promoted Montpellier, Chamois Niort, and Cannes!