“Barça in Oloron, it’s not every four mornings that we will see that again”, exclaims Jean-Marie Gruel, co-president of the club and organizer of the anniversary day with the friendly of former UFCOs. It is also his co-president, Christophe Althape, who allowed the Blaugrana to come to the Haut-Béarnaise capital.
900 people gathered
On the ground, this match was therefore the high point of a gala day. A fictitious kickoff first celebrated the former glories of the club: Sarah Cambot, striker with 100 goals in D1 women, exchanged with Jean Gallice, former coach of the FCO and young people of the France team, crowned champion of Europe U19 in 2005 with the generation of Hugo Lloris.
Beautiful people and nearly 900 people to push the boosted Oloronais at the start of the match. Home striker Nicolas Sartolou quickly opened the scoring before Barça regained control on two school outbursts from winger Jofre Mateu. Despite the heat and the 30° on the thermometer, the FCO managed to regain color at the end of the first half to equalize on a nice movement concluded by Gaëtan Belaud, former side of Stade Brestois in Ligue 1.
The public responded to this event match in Oloron
L.F
An anecdotal defeat
But on returning from the locker room, the former Barça players imposed their technical superiority: simple game and tiki-taka to add four goals. Final score, 6-2 but an unforgettable meeting for Jérôme, striker of “Fésséo”: “I had chills when I entered the lawn… what a pleasure to meet my friends again! On the Catalan side, shared pleasure for defender Moreno: “We were very well received here. It is a very beautiful region, I will come back with my family! »
A final whistle that did not whistle the end of the day so far. A Scohy room meal brought together 500 people, animated by local songs. All day, the young people of the club had preceded the old ones by taking advantage of the grounds of the sports plain around the stadium to play several matches, from the football school to the U19s.
A plaque in memory of the founder of the club
At noon, the inauguration of a plaque in memory of Jean-Claude Maura, founder of the club in 1970, was the other highlight of the day. After two successive cancellations in 2020 and 2021 because of the Covid-19 and three months of preparation in 2022, it is a tired but happy Jean-Marie Gruel who concludes with a smile: “It was such a big party that it will be difficult to do the same every year! »
