The history of Football Club de Nantes, a French football club based in Nantes, began in April 1943 with the merger of several local clubs, including Saint-Pierre de Nantes, the city's main amateur club. FC Nantes achieved professional status in 1945 after being promoted to the national second division. The club had to wait about twenty years before reaching the French first division, driven by coach José Arribas. Under his leadership, the team won the French championship twice in a row, in 1965 and 1966, due to the offensive, collective, and attractive play of the "Canaries," which earned nationwide acclaim. Through its style of play, the stability of its team and management, and its youth , the FCN had a consistent success under coaches Jean Vincent, Jean-Claude Suaudeau (a disciple of Arribas), and Raynald Denoueix (a disciple of both).
Renowned for its distinctive playstyle, commonly referred to as by journalists and fans, FC Nantes (known as FC Nantes Atlantique from 1992 to 2007) has established a notable legacy in French football. The club secured eight league titles between 1965 and 2001, complemented by three Coupe de France victories. Although less prominent in European competitions, with its best performances including the semifinals of the 1980 Cup Winners' Cup and the 1996 Champions League, FC Nantes has been widely recognized for the quality of its teams. These teams featured both collective cohesion and individual talent, with prominent players such as Henri Michel, Vahid Halilhodžić, and Jorge Burruchaga, alongside academy graduates like Didier Deschamps, Marcel Desailly, Christian Karembeu, and Claude Makelele.
Creation and division 2 (1943–1960)
Creation during the occupation (1943–1944) The circumstances surrounding the club's creation while Nantes was under German occupation remain unclear, with little information provided by either the municipality or the club itself. However, historical records indicate that leaders from various local clubs convened multiple meetings in central Nantes during the spring of 1943 (March 11, March 24, April 5, and April 21) in cafés in the —namely "Café Morice" on and "Café des Alliés" on —to establish a new club. The first team of Saint-Pierre de Nantes, the city's leading amateur club playing in the Division d'Honneur, gained autonomy under the new name, Football Club de Nantes. Two competing projects initially emerged: one led by (SNUC), and the other by , a leader of La Mellinet. Saint-Pierre's participation in the latter project tipped the scales in its favor. The new club's board of directors included six members from Saint-Pierre, including its president, Marcel Braud. Other clubs in the city, particularly those associated with labor organizations, had only one representative each, such as Ateliers et Chantiers de la Basse-Loire, Association Sportive Ouvrière Nantaise, Société de Construction des Batignolles, and La Mellinet, while SNUC had two representatives. Additionally, two French Football Federation members were on the board.
Two key figures from the initial board of directors of FC Nantes stand out for their significant, albeit controversial, roles in the club's history. Saupin was known for his involvement in collaborationist activities, notably participating in the antisemitic Groupe Collaboration led by Alphonse de Châteaubriant.Information known since the opening of the Ministry of the Interior archives concerning certain collaborationist organizations, including the “Collaboration” group, by the decree of October 11, 1999 archive. Second, was not initially involved in Nantes' sports scene but became one of the club's first presidents. Le Guillou owned a construction company that built the and the Malakoff Stadium (now Stade Marcel-Saupin). He was also a prominent collaborationist in Nantes, who profited from the war by acquiring jewelry stores, fashion boutiques, and a stable of thoroughbred horses. His best-known racehorse, Ali Pacha, whose jockey wore yellow and green, inspired the club's colors. Le Guillou's construction company maintained close ties with the German occupiers, providing services to the Todt Organization, the Luftwaffe, and the Kriegsmarine, and collaborating with the Berlin-based construction firm Walter in a joint subsidiary called GWL. After the Liberation, Le Guillou was arrested on September 9, 1944, dismissed from his position, and succeeded by Saupin. He spent years in exile in Switzerland before returning to France under an amnesty in 1951.
The motivations behind the creation of FC Nantes remain unclear, though collaborationist ideology and its broader influence likely played a role. The club's founding principle, established on April 21, 1943, stated that FC Nantes aimed "to develop the physical and moral strength of young men through football and to foster friendship and solidarity among all members." While this mission aligns with typical objectives of a sports association, it must be viewed within the context of the Pétainist regime and Nazi propaganda, both of which emphasized sports as tools for ideological and social control. Contemporary press accounts described FC Nantes as bringing together "the best players from Nantes and Saint-Nazaire, naturally reinforced by several other high-caliber players," under the direction of experienced coach . For workers at the Chantiers and Batignolles shipyards, the prospect of sporting success was an appealing incentive. However, historian posits that the club's creation may have served a more covert purpose: retaining and influencing local youth at a time when many young men were fleeing to the maquis to escape mandatory labor under the Service du Travail Obligatoire (STO). Following the Liberation in 1944, FC Nantes underwent a transformation, with football becoming its primary focus. This marked the start of the club's journey toward its lasting place in French sports history.
First steps in division 2 (1944–1951) In 1944, the battles for liberation prevented Nantes from capitalizing on its promotion to the second division, which it had earned by finishing second in the Division d'Honneur Ouest. Competitive play was heavily disrupted, and the few tournaments that took place were unofficial. Despite these challenges, Nantes secured an unofficial "treble" during the 1944–1945 season. The club triumphed in the Anjou amateur championship (part of the National II league) against teams such as SCO Angers, SO Cholet, and . It also claimed the Western Championship, with a decisive 5–0 victory in the final against T¿. Additionally, Nantes won the Western Cup, a friendly competition featuring the region's leading clubs, defeating SO Cholet 7–1 in the final. Although these achievements were not formally recognized, they underscored the club's resilience and growing prominence during a tumultuous period.
A few months later, FC Nantes joined the second division of the northern zone for the 1945–1946 season. Thus, FCN entered the professional era two years after its creation, with players largely from Saint-Pierre (Gergotich, Kerdraon, Crépin) and reinforced by some experienced players such as Antoine Raab or the Abautret brothers. The first official match played on August 26, 1945, saw the Nantes team beat CA Paris 2–0 away (goalscorers: Crépin, Ruffin), while the first-second division match at Malakoff ended in a 2–0 defeat to Troyes. In their inaugural season, Nantes finished 5th in their group.
In the 1946–1947 season, the second division championship returned to a single-group format, and coach Aimé Nuic was replaced at the start of the season by Raab, who took over as player-coach. For several seasons, the team finished in mid-table: 9th in 1947, 11th in 1948, and 9th again in 1949. Performances in the Coupe de France were not very impressive, with the team being eliminated quite early in the competition. However, the 1949–1950 season started disastrously, leading to Raab's replacement by , a team goalkeeper, who also assumed a player-coach role. At the end of the season, Nantes finished 17th and faced relegation but was ultimately saved. In 1951, following another disappointing season where the club finished 10th in the league, the municipal authorities provided a generous subsidy to the club, allowing them to recruit a prestigious coach, Émile Veinante.
A promotion slipping away (1951–1960) The appointment of Émile Veinante as head coach signaled a strategic shift for FC Nantes. A former international with recent success in guiding FC Metz to Division 1 (D1), Veinante was brought in to accelerate Nantes' rise to the top tier. The 1951–1952 season began promisingly, with the team maintaining second place for much of the campaign. However, they faltered in the closing stages, ultimately finishing in 4th place. A defining moment of the season came during a decisive match against AS Monaco for the third-place playoff spot. In a heated and physically demanding contest, FC Nantes was reduced to ten men after Baumann sustained an injury. Leading 1-1 late in the game, Nantes conceded a controversial goal in the final ten minutes, despite an apparent offside. Adding to the frustration, a legitimate Nantes equalizer was disallowed for the same infraction. In protest, the Nantes players staged a sit-down strike on the pitch, ceasing play and ultimately suffering an 8–1 defeat. Despite the demoralizing result, club president Marcel Saupin commended the team for their efforts upon their return, reinforcing his support during a challenging season.
Émile Veinante was unable to achieve promotion for FC Nantes, with the team finishing 6th in 1953 and 9th in 1954. He resigned in the spring of 1955, shortly before the final match of the season, and was succeeded by Antoine Raab, who returned to the coaching role. Despite the presence of talented players such as the Dutch duo and —the latter becoming the club's first true star—and a growing fanbase, including a record attendance of 10,000 spectators for a 4–2 victory against Angers on November 9, 1953, the team's fortunes declined under Raab. Nantes finished 10th in 1955, and although their reserve team won the Western amateur championship, the senior squad struggled in the 1955–1956 season, hovering near relegation. Raab was dismissed with two matches remaining in the season. Under the temporary leadership of team captain , Nantes narrowly avoided relegation, finishing 17th and just above the relegation zone. This period marked a challenging chapter for the club as it grappled with inconsistent performances and organizational instability.