“We clearly thought we would be on vacation this week”, laughs Elian Benitez, the leader of Rueil Athlétic Club. Pessimistic, the Rueillois? No, rather realistic… The formula of the Nationale 1 playoffs is such that it doesn’t really leave room for error for the least ranked, with a home match to start and two away matches afterwards. However, the RAC, 18th in the championship in scratch (15v-21d), was corrected by Quimper, which displays the same record as the champion Hyères-Toulon (26v-10d), at the opening of the 1/8th final (74- 87).
That evening, April 26, after the final buzzer, President Hélène Héloise advanced into the central circle. “You have just attended the last NM1 match at the Stadium”, she announced, in front of an audience taken by surprise. Astonishment in the audience, a few tears flowed. “There were a lot of emotions, sadness, frustration”, remembers coach Nenad Papic. And yet, the Hauts-de-Seine club will perform again in its home this Friday evening, in the quarter-final first leg against Mulhouse. “It’s often when we’re at the foot of the cliff that cool things can happen”image the technician.
“This club is their life for some”
In this case, the cliff was infinitely high, overlooking an immense void: the disappearance of one of the oldest clubs of the Nationale 1, resident of the third division since 2011. But something irrational happened in Quimper during the weekend. An extra soul? Certainly… “It transcends us, or at least makes us want to do it”replies Steven Ricard, the oldest in the group, already present in 2011/12 then since 2018. “It gives us extra motivation to not give up”continues Élian Benitez, moved by the tears of certain supporters during the announcement. “This club is their life for some. The least we can do is give everything for them. »
The announcement of the club’s closure by Hélène Héloise on April 26 (photo: Olivier Mariage)
Accustomed to express trips over a single day, Ile-de-France residents experienced a somewhat timeless moment in Finistère. “We spent Thursday to Sunday together, that may have played a role”notes Jean-Frédéric Morency. “The managers came with us on Friday, there was a little thing that was created, stronger bonds than during the season. And afterwards, we kept our identity as mentally ill people who don’t give up during efforts! » Or quite the opposite of the Aries, missing from the return leg, certainly convinced that they were going to fold the affair in two matches. However, in the 16th minute, the gap was already +25 for Rueil (21-46). After the logical Quimper revolt, Élian Benitez folded the matter (75-82).
Beauty is otherwise different. Near half-time, it was the RAC which was dropped (42-22). Moment chosen by coach Nenad Papic to pull off one of the winning tactical moves of the season: an improbable 1-3-1 zone. “It was quite lunar”laughs Jean-Frédéric Morency. “We had never worked on him all season, he just drew it in the timeout and we executed it. » Out of nowhere, or almost… “If things went south, I had planned it a bit in advance”says the former Gennevilliers coach. “During the return match, I did 3-2, 2-1-2, box and one, double box. I asked myself what I could do to surprise them, something they haven’t had since the beginning of the year, and I came up with the 1-3-1. » Unable to find the key, the Bretons abandoned their Pro B ambitions (83-86).
The town hall’s ax: 275,400 euros less
A huge achievement for the smallest budget in the championship, at 540,000 euros, down 30% compared to last year. Enough to force GM Julien Hervy to deal with two pieces of string. The coach is a low-cost bet from the National 2 championship, the team a subsidiary of former Espoirs. “We all had something to prove”retrace Nenad Papic. “It’s a common project that brought us together. » Even if the club warns the players of financial problems very early… “They talked to us about it in November,” remembers Élian Benitez, the future leader of Nantes. “This is also where we chained our five victories in a row. »
On the floor, given the bloodless finances, the team is exemplary but behind the scenes, things are gradually becoming tense over the months. In November, after having already taken 100,000 euros the year before, the town hall decided to cut funds to the club, by removing the subsidy which represents 51% of the budget: or 275,400 euros. « These are choices that are difficult, but necessary”she explains to News Paris. “Every year, we have to make three million euros in savings. And we cannot reduce nursery places, the number of leisure centers or security. » Arguments which go a little less well within the club when they are confronted with the passage of the Olympic flame in the city, labeled Terre de Jeux, for a total cost of 180,000 euros. “There are a lot of emotions and a bit of misunderstanding about the context: the sporting results are there, the enthusiasm too, it comes out a bit of nowhere »regrets Jean-Frédéric Morency.
Still hope?
An unexpected announcement, which took the leaders by surprise. “We would have liked the town hall to disengage gradually “, regrets President Hélène Héloïse. A three-year project had thus been put in place, the club was also working on calls for donations and the search for private partners, necessarily more difficult in the Paris region than in the provinces. The firmness of the town hall destroys practically all hopes, even if Hélène Héloïse confided in the middle of the week to maintain a note of confidence. “You have to be a little optimistic, right? »
Élian Benitez and the RAC will meet Mulhouse in the quarter-final (photo: Gérard Héloise)
His announcement created a real wave of support around the club, like the online petition which now has almost 1,000 signatures. But the RAC is now engaged in a race against time, with the obligation to find almost 300,000 euros in one month. “We are still working”whispers the president. “It’s like the players showed us in Quimper: as long as the final whistle is not blown… We have had feedback, we see that we exist, that we are not working for nothing. »
In this context of struggle for survival, the team took on the role of ambassador. “We hope that our sporting results can act as a driving force”asserts Nenad Papic. “As long as we are still in the race, we hope that something will happen. It’s an additional force for the players to try to return the favor to the club that gave them the chance to be seen. » A motivation which will still be in full force against Mulhouse in the quarter-final, during a rather open series. “It’s an emblematic club in Ile-de-France, which always produces young players”underlines captain Steven Ricard. “I am particularly attached to the RAC, there are only beautiful people. This is the first year where I feel so much emotion, so much excitement. The situation saddens me but there is still a little hope. And we tell ourselves that winning matches will only help the club…” But the club has an even more important match to play away from the field. So that Quimper’s feat does not remain Rueil Athletic Club’s last victory forever…
2024-05-10 12:22:15
#Rueil #sporting #miracle #danger #death
