Alain Perrin

Alain Perrin
Born	(1956-10-07) October 7, 1956 Lure, Haute-Saône, France
Occupation(s)	Football coach, former professional player
Years active	1983–present

Alain André Christian Perrin (; born 7 October 1956) is a French football coach and former professional player.

Perrin first gained recognition as a manager at Troyes, where he guided the club from the fourth division up to Ligue 1 and earned a spot in the UEFA Cup by winning the 2001 UEFA Intertoto Cup. He then secured the Coupe de France title with Sochaux in 2007, followed by achieving a league and cup double with Lyon in 2008.

His international coaching career includes several years in Qatar, brief periods managing in the United Arab Emirates and at Portsmouth in the Premier League, as well as leading the China squad during the 2015 AFC Asian Cup.

Early life

Alain André Christian Perrin was born on 7 October 1956 in Lure, located in the Haute-Saône region.

Troyes

Perrin began his coaching career at Nancy in 1983, initially serving as a youth coach under Arsène Wenger, and later overseeing the club’s academy. In 1993, he was appointed manager of fourth-tier side Troyes, where he achieved three promotions over six seasons, elevating the team to Ligue 1 and securing qualification for the UEFA Cup. His squad won the 2001 UEFA Intertoto Cup on away goals after drawing 4–4 with Newcastle United.

Marseille

In May 2002, Perrin signed a three-year deal to take charge of Olympique de Marseille, replacing Bernard Tapie. He was relieved of his duties in January 2004 when Marseille sat sixth in the league after suffering nine defeats in their last fifteen matches.

Following his departure from Marseille, Perrin was linked to various managerial opportunities across Europe, including a potential role at Premier League club Southampton. In July 2004, he took over as head coach of UAE Pro League side Al-Ain, where he remained for three months.

Portsmouth

On 7 April 2005, Perrin entered the Premier League arena as manager of Portsmouth, who were positioned 16th and four points clear of relegation with seven fixtures left. On 24 April, his team secured a 4–1 victory over local rivals Southampton in the South Coast derby—a result that contributed to Portsmouth’s survival and Southampton’s relegation.

Perrin was dismissed on 24 November 2005 after managing only two wins throughout that season.

Return to France

In May 2006, Perrin returned to Ligue 1 by taking charge of Sochaux, which had ended the previous campaign in 15th place. On 12 May 2007, he led Sochaux to triumph in the Coupe de France, defeating Marseille on penalties following a 2–2 draw—marking Sochaux’s first cup victory since 1937.

On 30 May 2007, Perrin was appointed manager of Olympique Lyonnais, succeeding Gérard Houllier. During his sole season at Lyon, he secured their seventh consecutive Ligue 1 championship and retained the Coupe de France, accomplishing the club’s inaugural league and cup double. He resigned in June 2008 due to conflicts with members of the coaching staff.

Although considered a candidate for the French national team position, Raymond Domenech remained as manager. Perrin was named head coach of Saint-Étienne on 11 November 2008 but was dismissed on 15 December 2009.

Qatar

On 1 June 2012, Perrin departed from Al-Khor Sports Club to take charge as head coach of the Qatar U23. His first responsibility involved managing the AFC Under-22 qualifiers, where the squad did not progress beyond the group phase. Subsequently, he guided the team to an improved showing at the 2012 GCC U-23 Championship, advancing to the semi-finals and ultimately securing fourth place.

Perrin briefly assumed the managerial position at Al Gharafa on 20 December 2012 but left after roughly two months. In March 2013, he took over as head coach of Umm Salal, succeeding Bertrand Marchand. He resigned on 30 September 2013 following two defeats in the opening three matches of that season.

China

On 28 February 2014, Perrin was appointed as manager of the China national football team, replacing Antonio Camacho. His first match resulted in a 3–1 loss against Iraq during the final game of the 2015 AFC Asian Cup qualification. Despite this, China advanced as the highest-ranked third-placed team. At the tournament hosted in Australia, China secured victories in all three group fixtures before being eliminated by hosts Australia with a 2–0 scoreline in the round of 16.

In August 2015, China achieved second place behind South Korea at the 2015 EAFF East Asian Cup held on home ground. Perrin ended his tenure on 8 January 2016, with China positioned third in the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification following a defeat to Qatar and two draws against Hong Kong.

Nancy

In October 2018, Perrin succeeded Didier Tholot as manager of Ligue 2 side Nancy. He remained in charge until May 2019, when Jean-Louis Garcia was named as his replacement.

Managerial statistics

Team	Nat	From	To	Record
				G	W	D	L	Win %
Troyes	Template:Fbicon	1 July 1993	30 June 2002	324	133	105	86	41.05
Marseille	Template:Fbicon	1 July 2002	14 January 2004	60	31	9	20	51.67
Al-Ain	Template:Fbicon	13 July 2004	24 October 2004	4	2	0	2	50
Portsmouth	Template:Fbicon	7 April 2005	24 November 2005	21	4	6	11	19.05
Sochaux	Template:Fbicon	1 August 2006	30 June 2007	47	22	13	12	46.81
Lyon	Template:Fbicon	1 July 2007	16 June 2008	59	39	11	9	66.10
Saint-Étienne	Template:Fbicon	12 November 2008	15 December 2009	58	20	13	25	34.48
Al-Khor	Template:Fbicon	14 June 2010	31 May 2012	65	24	13	28
Qatar U23		1 June 2012	19 December 2012	9	3	3	3
Al Gharafa	Template:Fbicon	20 December 2012	21 February 2013	7	3	3	1
Umm Salal	Template:Fbicon	13 March 2013	30 September 2013	11	4	2	5
China		28 February 2014	8 January 2016	28	15	9	4
AS Nancy Lorraine (Nancy)	Template:Fbicon France	align=left 27 October 2018	align=left 30 June 2019	30	14	4	12
Total !707				300	188	219

Honours

Troyes

• UEFA Intertoto Cup champion: 2001

Sochaux

• Coupe de France winner: 2006–07 season

Lyon

• Ligue 1 title: 2007–08
• Coupe de France victor: 2007–08
• Trophée des Champions winner: 2007