Stéphane Masala

Stéphane Masala (born 30 August 1976) is a French professional football manager and former player. He is currently the manager of Championnat National 2 club Les Herbiers VF.[3]

Stéphane Masala
Personal information
Date of birth (1976-08-30) 30 August 1976
Place of birth Nantes, France[1]
Height 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)[2]
Position(s) Midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Les Herbiers (manager)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1995–1998 Troyes B
1998–2001 Reims
2001–2003 Châlons
2003–2005 Orléans
2005–2014 Luçon
Teams managed
2014–2016 Luçon
2016–2018 Les Herbiers (assistant)
2018– Les Herbiers
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

In 2018, Masala coached Les Herbiers, a third-tier side, to the Coupe de France Final, eventually being defeated 2–0 by first-tier giants Paris Saint-Germain.

Playing career

Masala played mainly as a midfielder throughout his 19-year playing career. From 2003 to 2005, he was the captain of Orléans, and also coached one of the club's youth teams.[4] He later played for three different seasons with Reims and Luçon in the third tier of French football, the Championnat National, but never obtained professional status as a player.[5] In his final years of his playing days, he was simultaneously the captain and assistant manager of Luçon, with Frédéric Reculeau as main manager.[6] Masala retired in 2014.[7]

Managerial career

In June 2016, after spending 11 years as a coach and a player at Luçon, Masala became the assistant manager of Les Herbiers. He took the full job of manager at the club in January 2018, after his previous colleague Reculeau had been dismissed.[5] Initially, he was intended to be the interim manager for just two games, although his contract was later extended.[4] In his first two months in charge, Les Herbiers won seven and drew four of their 12 matches.[8] Masala did not have the correct coaching qualifications to manage in the Championnat National, and so Les Herbiers were fined €1,170 for every match in 2018 that he managed.[9] Masala coached Les Herbiers to a Coupe de France Final against Paris Saint-Germain in 2018, an underdog story that ended in a 2–0 defeat at the Stade de France.[10][4] They played and defeated Chambly in the semi-finals of the competition.[11] A few days after the Coupe de France final, Les Herbiers were relegated from the Championnat National to the Championnat National 2.[12]

On 8 May 2020, Masala extended his contract with Les Herbiers for an additional two years.[12][13]

Personal life

Masala was born in Nantes, France.[11] He is of Sardinian descent;[8][14] his father left Sardinia when he was 16, and his mother is from Marche, Italy.[15]

Honours

Player

Luçon

Manager

Les Herbiers

References
  1. Stéphane Masala at Global Sports Archive
  2. Stéphane Masala at FootballDatabase.eu
  3. "S. Masala". Football World Rankings. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
  4. "Quand Stéphane Masala, l'ancien capitaine de l'US Orléans défie le Paris SG" [When Stéphane Masala, the former captain of US Orléans challenges Paris SG]. La République du Centre (in French). 8 May 2018. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  5. Bérard, Christophe (7 May 2018). "Le coach des Herbiers : «Face au PSG, on a zéro chance de gagner»" [The coach of the Herbiers: "Against PSG, we have zero chance of winning"]. Le Parisien (in French). Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  6. "Stéphane Masala, le capitaine et entraîneur adjoint de Luçon, de retour à La Source" [Stéphane Masala, the captain and assistant manager of Luçon, back at La Source]. La République du Centre (in French). 19 December 2013. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  7. "Stéphane MASALA". Les Herbiers VF (in French). Retrieved 28 August 2020.
  8. "Les Herbiers, miracolo in Coppa di Francia. E c'è pure un pizzico d'Italia" [Les Herbiers, a miracle in the French Cup. And there is also a pinch of Italy]. La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). 20 April 2018. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  9. "STÉPHANE MASALA, UN ENTRAÎNEUR SANS DIPLÔME EN FINALE DE LA COUPE DE FRANCE" [STÉPHANE MASALA, A COACH WITHOUT DIPLOMA IN THE FINAL OF THE CUP OF FRANCE]. Le Figaro (in French). 7 May 2018. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  10. "Les Herbiers 0 – 2 Paris Saint-Germain". BBC Sport. 8 May 2018. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
  11. "PORTRAIT - Le fabuleux destin de Stéphane Masala, le coach des Herbiers" [PORTRAIT - The fabulous destiny of Stéphane Masala, the coach of Les Herbiers] (in French). Goal.com. 17 April 2018. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  12. "Football : l'entraîneur des Herbiers, Stéphane Masala, signe pour deux saisons supplémentaires" [Football: Les Herbiers coach Stéphane Masala signs for two more seasons]. France Bleu (in French). 9 May 2020. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  13. "Communiqué du club - Le VHF et Stéphane MASALA liés pour 2 ans supplémentaires" [Club press release - VHF and Stéphane MASALA linked for 2 more years]. Les Herbiers VF (in French). 8 May 2020. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
  14. Le Tutour, Michel (21 March 2020). "Vendée Les Herbiers football : l'avenir de Stéphane Masala en suspens" [Vendée Les Herbiers football: the future of Stéphane Masala in suspense]. Ouest-France (in French). Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  15. "Les Herbiers, il sardo Stephane Masala all'origine del miracolo" [Les Herbiers, the Sardinian Stephane Masala at the origin of the miracle] (in Italian). Goal.com. 5 May 2018. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
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