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.

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. 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. In his final years of his playing days, he was simultaneously the captain and assistant manager of Luçon, with as main manager. Masala retired in 2014.

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. Initially, he was intended to be the interim manager for just two games, although his contract was later extended. In his first two months in charge, Les Herbiers won seven and drew four of their 12 matches. 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. 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. They played and defeated Chambly in the semi-finals of the competition. A few days after the Coupe de France final, Les Herbiers were relegated from the Championnat National to the Championnat National 2.

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

Personal life
Masala was born in Nantes, France. He is of Sardinian descent; his father left Sardinia when he was 16, and his mother is from Marche, Italy.

Player
Luçon
 * Championnat de France Amateur: 2012–13

Manager
Les Herbiers
 * Coupe de France runner-up: 2017–18