The 2011 Coupe de la Ligue final was the 17th final of France's football league cup competition, the Coupe de la Ligue, a football competition for the 44 teams that the Ligue de Football Professionnel manages. The final took place on 23 April 2011 at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis and was contested between Marseille and Montpellier. Marseille were the defending champions of the competition and was the fourth club in the competition's history to appear in the final match in back-to-back seasons. The winner was guaranteed a UEFA Europa League place for the 2011–12 season with their appearance being dependent on whether they qualify for the 2011–12 UEFA Champions League. The final and both semi-finals were broadcast live on France 2.
Marseille successfully defended its title after defeating Montpellier 1–0 courtesy of a second half goal from Taye Taiwo. The title resulted in Marseille becoming the first club in Coupe de la Ligue history to repeat as champions. For the first time in the competition's history, an official Best Player award was given out following the match. The award is sponsored by l'Institut du cerveau et de la moelle épinière () and its inaugural winner was the lone goal-scorer Taye Taiwo. The award was presented to the player by France national team manager Laurent Blanc, who serves as an ambassador for the institute.
On 24 April, the Ligue de Football Professionnel announced that it was investigating the Best Player award winner for his actions following the match. The Nigerian defender reportedly made provocative and offensive remarks about the club's Le Classique rivals Paris Saint-Germain while celebrating with Marseille supporters. After being condemned for his actions by Marseille's management and its staff and players, Taiwo issued an apology on the club's official website.
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Five referee system for cup
On 20 August 2010, the Ligue de Football Professionnel confirmed that the Coupe de la Ligue would utilized the five-referee system that is currently being used in the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League. The announcement made the competition the first national cup competition in Europe to adopt the system and was approved by the International Football Association Board (IFAB) on 21 July. The system officially began on 24 August with the start of the second round matches and was in place until the final.
Team backgrounds
Marseille made its second appearance in the final of the Coupe de la Ligue. The club was the competition's defending champions having defeated Bordeaux 3–1 in last year's final and were the fourth club in the competition's history to appear in the final match in back-to-back seasons. Montpellier made its debut in the ultimate match of the Coupe de la Ligue. The club's last major finals appearance in a cup competition was in the 1993–94 season when it reached the final of the Coupe de France. In 1992, Montpellier won the Coupe d'été (). The competition was not recognized by the Ligue de Football Professionnel and abolished in 1994, however, the Coupe de la Ligue took a heavy influence from the competition. On 26 January 2011, the defending champions Marseille were designated as the home team for the match. A week before the Coupe de la Ligue Final was to take place, Marseille and Montpellier faced each other in a league match. Marseille defeated hosts Montpellier 2–1 in the match, despite the home team taking a 1–0 lead late in the second half.
Ticketing
The Coupe de la Ligue final has been played every year at the Stade de France since 1998, following the stadium's completion. The stadium has a capacity of 81,338 spectators. Each club that participated in the final received the same quota of tickets, which were distributed to season ticket holders and through each club's ticket sales at a later date. Tickets went on sale to the general public in the third week of March 2011, a month before the final. Pricing was defined by category with Category 1 seats, the highest category, being priced at €90 and Category 4, the lowest, going for €45. The Category 4 seats were primarily reserved for each club's supporters.
Officials
On 7 April, the Ligue de Football Professionnel announced that referee Antony Gautier of Nord-Pas-de-Calais would officiate the 2011 Coupe de la Ligue final. Gautier officiated only one match involving either of the two teams this season; a 2–1 home loss for Montpellier against Nancy on 11 September 2010. He refereed his first league cup final and was assisted by Mickaël Annonier of Atlantique and Nicolas Pottier of Maine. Saïd Ennjimi of Centre-Ouest serve as the fourth official.