At the final whistle, a sweet euphoria passes through the Auguste-Delaune stadium in Bobigny. The amateur players of FC Montreuil (R1, 6th division) have just achieved a huge performance by qualifying for the round of 16 of the Coupe de France after a success (2-1) at the expense of Chauvigny (N3). In the stands, the 1,500 spectators warmly applaud the feat of their protégés.
The mini-kop of the Ultras of the Seine-Saint-Denis club lights a few smoke bombs to celebrate the feat. “It’s a great joy for the city and our supporters. For us, it’s an emotion that we will only feel once in our life,” confides Idriss Kadded who equalized on a penalty at the end of the first period. In the pouring rain, the players stayed for long minutes on the synthetic pitch to communicate with their supporters. “There are no words to describe what we are experiencing. When you see parents or mothers crying in the stands, you tell yourself that you have done something great, declares the hero of the evening, Anthony Adel who scored the winning goal at the end of the match. In addition, it is my little brother Mehdi who gives me the decisive pass. It’s great to be able to experience so many emotions as a family. »
In the Montreuil locker room, the players arrive one after the other. Joy is at first contained. But the decibels go up a notch with the arrival of Ali Sidhoum, one of the shareholders, who created a buzz on social networks in the previous round by imitating Rolland Courbis and Éric Di Meco. Obviously, the manager embarks on a new imitation of the former OM coach. “They brought us an N2 and we hit them (Granville in the previous round), they brought us an N3 and we hit them. Then bring us back an L1! » General laughter!
It’s the turn of Montreuil president Abdoulaye Sow to speak in a vibrant tribute to his players. “We’re bonded for life, boys. You are the architects of all this. We can applaud ourselves. »
The players then launch into various songs in praise of FC Montreuil. “Here, here, it’s Montreuil,” they shout before launching into a “we’ve screwed them up”, initiated by RC Lens during its successes. It’s 8:25 p.m. A player then interrupts the surrounding madness to announce the identity of the future opponent. It will not be PSG or OM but SC Amiens (14th in L2). A draw greeted with a touch of disappointment among some.
Next round at Bauer Stadium?
“We are here to meet all the challenges! We are going to prepare seriously for this match against Amiens which will arrive quickly (the weekend of January 10 and 11), announces goalkeeper Oumar Sissoko (38 years old), former pro at Metz, AC Ajaccio and Orléans. We will have to play hard and try to mark the club’s history once again. We will give everything. To think that I waited to return to the club of my hometown to finally pass the milestone of the 32nd finals of the Coupe de France. It’s just fun! » Coach Samy Guenfoud discusses with his staff. He relishes the feat. “I am proud of my players,” he insists. Usually, I always do the talking but today I let my injured captain (Bakary Niakaté) speak. I was sitting. I wanted to show them that I had confidence in them. »
The managers then close the locker room door to announce to the players that a nice qualifying bonus will arrive for the holidays. Additional satisfaction for these amateurs who have a job on the side. Fatigue is starting to set in. No impromptu evening in a restaurant or nightclub. “We will have a restaurant after the holidays,” promises Ali Sadhoum. The question of the stadium is on everyone’s lips. Even if it is approved (T2), the Auguste-Delaune stadium is not sure of being validated by the French federation to host a round of 16. The leaders are thinking of the Bauer stadium, home of Red Star (L2), to host the meeting in three weeks. “We want to play this meeting in our department to have another great celebration. », concludes the president of FC Montreuil.
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