Suspense guaranteed! A week after the verdict in the first five divisions of France, everything will be decided during the last two days in Regional 1, this weekend and the following. We will thus know the club which will play in National 3 next season. Only one will in fact access this 5th division this season (and next), unlike three in recent years in each of the thirteen regional leagues in France.
In Île-de-France, the R1 championship is made up of two groups, A and B. To define obtaining the only accession ticket, the FFF proposed last year to Leagues with several groups to choose their mode of climb between a final between the best of the two groups or a mini-championship between the first of each group and the teams classified from 2nd to 6th place (taking into account the results obtained against them during the season).
If the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes League opted for the first formula, the Paris-Île-de-France League and those of Brittany and Grand Est (3 groups) favored the second. A decision which still provokes the anger of the Ile-de-France clubs which are playing for the rise.
“Sporting ethics are not there. All the coaches wanted a final at the start of the season to decide between the first of the two groups, and that is still the case, confides Lacina Karamoko, the coach of Saint-Denis. It will be very hard to live with for the first one who does not go up, because he will have the feeling of not having been able to fight until the end. » “It would have been more judicious to schedule a final on neutral ground like the Morfondé area (the regional technical center located in Villeparisis, in Seine-et-Marne),” supports Hans Camara, the Ulis technician.
“I’m going to become a math teacher with all these calculations to do”
In the absence of a final, the last four contenders for N3 must first finish first in their group before taking out the calculator and counting more points than the champion of the other group. In group A, the situation is clear. US Saint-Denis, led by former PSG defensive midfielder Albert Baning, will finish the championship at the top of their group since they are seven points ahead of their runner-up Claye-Souilly with two games remaining.
“We succeeded in the first step of finishing at the top of our group and the second is now to count as many points as possible to be the highest ranked team in the two groups,” notes Lacina Karamoko. We have worked for several years towards this objective, we deserve to reach N3 for the first time. » He adds: “I’m going to become a maths teacher with all these calculations to do, it’s very complicated to plan without knowing the identity of 5th and 6th. Anything can happen during the last two days. »
In Group B, three teams occupy first place with the same number of points. These are Ulis, Espérance Aulnaysienne and Torcy. Three training clubs recognized in Île-de-France since Les Ulis saw Thierry Henry, Patrice Evra and Anthony Martial, Espérance Aulnaysienne Moussa Sissoko pass through its ranks, and Torcy saw the emergence of Paul Pogba.
In the event of a three-way tie, it would be Les Ulis who would finish as champions of group B (the difference is based on the specific goal average). In a two-way tie, Espérance systematically wins over its two direct competitors while Les Ulis beat Torcy twice. “We were not scheduled to play the climb with a 70% renewed workforce after the descent of N3 last May. It’s a bonus for us and we’re going to play hard, admits Hans Camara. We have to adapt to this new formula. The players are in the calculations even if it is almost impossible to make projections. One thing is certain, many teams will have things to play for until the last match and there will be no shenanigans. » Verdict expected on Saturday June 1 around 8 p.m.
