Ligue 3: A closer look at the coaches
As the Ligue 3 Betclic season is underway, take the time to meet the coaches of each of the 18 clubs.
Amiens SC
Alain Pochat (58), appointed March 2026
Youth coach, fitness coach, head coach... Alain Pochat has done almost everything within the Aviron Bayonnais football setup over the course of nearly 20 years. He made the move to Amiens directly from the Basque Country. A few years ago, while managing Villefranche, he made headlines during a Coupe de France match against PSG by complaining that the Parisian players were too quick to claim fouls: "It’s a good thing they didn't play in the 1980s..."
SC Aubagne Air Bel
Karim Masmoudi (39), appointed May 2026
Hailing from Marseille, he comes off the back of two stints as an assistant: first to Sébastien Desabre with the DR Congo national team, and then to Madjid Bougherra with Algeria’s A’ squad. He has held similar roles elsewhere in Africa (Mauritania, as well as leagues in Morocco, Algeria, and Egypt) and in his home region (Marseille-Consolat and Toulon). Masmoudi’s assistant is another Marseille native: former OM right-back Kassim Abdallah.
SC Bastia
Laurent Peyrelade (56), appointed July 2026
Although Laurent Peyrelade didn't begin his professional career until the age of 25, the former LOSC striker retired with over 300 matches under his belt. As a coach, his most significant spell was at the helm of Rodez (2015–2022), followed by stints at Versailles and Grenoble. He is rarely seen without his lucky blue scarf around his neck.
Football Bourg-en-Bresse Péronnas 01
Nicolas Rabuel (48), appointed in July 2026
During his solid playing career (primarily in Ligue 2 BKT), he played alongside the likes of Olivier Kapo, Youssouf Hadji, and Daniel Moreira. His second career—as a coach—saw him work at Valenciennes (VA) for a long time. However, a highlight of the upcoming season promises to be the two-legged tie against La Roche-sur-Yon, the club where his son Mattéo (26), a defender, plays.
SM Caen
Gaël Clichy (40), appointed in December 2025
He boasts the most impressive résumé in the league: 20 caps for the French national team, nearly 700 professional matches, and 14 years split between Arsenal and Manchester City. Yet, he is just beginning his coaching career; this is his first role as a head coach, following stints as an assistant to Thierry Henry and later Gérald Baticle with the French Olympic and U21 teams.
AS Cannes
Mathieu Chabert (47), appointed in October 2025
A former goalkeeper trained at Saint-Étienne who also played for Udinese and in Scotland, Mathieu Chabert was forced to retire at 24 due to a spinal cord tumor. Since becoming a coach, he has notably led Béziers, Dunkerque, and Bastia to promotion to Ligue 2 BKT, and—just a few weeks ago—guided AS Cannes to promotion to Ligue 3.
US Concarneau
Stéphane Moulin (58), appointed in June 2026
He is arguably the most credentialed coach in the entire league. Not as a player—though he did make 150 Ligue 2 appearances—but as a manager, with no fewer than six seasons in the top flight. That was at Angers, where he spent 16 consecutive years at the helm! Concarneau’s new manager has reunited there with scout Philippe Leclerc, whom he has known for 30 years!
FC Fleury 91
Maxime d’Ornano (45), appointed in June 2026
This season, he will travel to a stadium bearing his surname: the Michel-d’Ornano, home ground of SM Caen—a club he managed for six months prior to Gaël Clichy’s appointment! However, there is no known family connection between the former minister under Valéry Giscard d’Estaing and the new FC Fleury 91 manager.
QRM
Gabriel Santos (43), appointed in June 2026
The only foreign coach in Ligue 3, the Portuguese manager began his career as a video analyst on Leonardo Jardim’s staff. Santos subsequently spent a long period as an assistant manager, a role that will see him cross paths with several of his former clubs this season: Caen, Bastia, and Aubagne—where he had his first experience as a head coach.
US Orléans
Hervé Della Maggiore (53), appointed in July 2024
He came up through the youth ranks at Olympique Lyonnais between the ages of 12 and 18 but failed to break into the first team. He continued playing in the Lyon suburbs while taking over the family construction business. Football later returned to the forefront of his life through coaching stints at FBBP 01 (where Pierre Sage served as his assistant!), Gazélec, Villefranche, and finally USO. Unfortunately, his career has been marked by four failures in the promotion play-offs for Ligue 2!
Paris 13 Atletico
Stéphane Rossi (62), appointed in July 2026
The Corsican manager has coached three different clubs from Bastia during his career (notably CA Bastia in Ligue 2 BKT). On the mainland, he spent the last two seasons at the helm of Concarneau, in a third-tier league he knows well.
Le Puy Foot
Stéphane Dief (49), appointed in July 2023
Stéphane Dief’s fourth season at Le Puy should be a breeze! In 2025/2026, he spent Mondays through Thursdays traveling or attending classes for his BEPF coaching diploma. The training program even took him to London for an immersion stint with Julien Stéphan at Queens Park Rangers (English second division).
VFC La Roche-sur-Yon
Frédéric Reculeau (54), appointed in July 2022
The son of the Luçon president and a former player for the club, Frédéric Reculeau later led Luçon to the third tier as a manager; his team’s style of play earned them the nickname "the Barça of the National." Today, the Vendée-born coach is working at another club in the region—the third of his career, alongside his time at Les Herbiers.
FC Rouen
Régis Brouard (59), appointed in November 2024
Another former player... but that’s not all! Régis Brouard is a familiar face on TV panels, particularly on the L’Equipe channel. The 59-year-old coach is best known for securing promotions (with Rodez, Quevilly, Red Star, etc.). He came very close with Rouen just a few weeks ago, falling short only in the promotion play-off against Laval.
US Thionville Lusitanos
Julien François (46), appointed in May 2021
In charge since the summer of 2011, Julien François boasts an impressive record of four promotions in five seasons. His worst finish? Fourth place. This first season in Ligue 3 will surely be a different kind of challenge, but given his momentum... The former defensive midfielder can also draw on his extensive experience: nearly 400 professional matches (mostly in Ligue 2 BKT), notably with Metz, Le Havre (HAC), and Grenoble.
FC Versailles
Jordan Gonzalez (36), appointed in November 2024
Before his appointment at Versailles, Jordan Gonzalez coached the Olympique Lyonnais U19 squad, managing players such as Khalis Merah, Rémi Himbert, and Steeve Kango.
FC Villefranche Beaujolais
Fabien Pujo (52), appointed in July 2025
Having previously coached the brothers of Kaïl Boudache and Kenny Nagera, Fabien Pujo is now set to coach Frédéric Piquionne’s nephew and Nicolas Laspalles’ son. Is this the recipe for securing the fourth promotion of his career?
Valenciennes FC
Pierre Blois (32), appointed in February 2026
The youngest coach in Ligue 3, Pierre Blois rose through the ranks at VA, starting with the U17s. He works in tandem with Rudy Mater, a VA legend who played nearly 400 matches for the club, including 235 in Ligue 1 McDonald’s.
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