Diego Duarte on loan to Seraing
Luxembourg U21 international (5 caps, 1 goal), Diego Duarte will end the season in the colors of RFC Seraing. After signing his first professional contract with FC Metz, the young attacking midfielder (19 years old) of Portuguese origin will, in fact, be loaned to the Belgian satellite club (D2) of Maison Garnet, chaired by Bernard Serin since last August.
Diego Duarte, who joined the club at Croix de Lorraine at the age of 10, played 9 matches (6 starts, 1 goal) with the Metz reserve team in National 3 this season. The young midfielder will therefore try to take advantage of his time with the Steelworkers (15th) to get playing time and gain experience on the Challenger Pro League pitches.
In Seraing, Diego Duarte joins attackers Édouard Soumah-Abbad and Abdoulaye Agne Ba, also on loan from FC Metz.
A first professional contract offered to four young people from the training center
They also represent the future of FC Metz: defenders Adam Marchal (17 years old) – son of Sylvain Marchal – and Abdoulaye Nassoko (17 years old) as well as midfielder Believe Munongo (16 years old) and striker Nathan Mbala (17 years old) have in their hands a proposal for the signing of a first professional contract in favor of their training club.
📆 The weekend agenda
➤ Belgian D2 : RFC Seraing – RWD Molenbeek (20th day), Friday January 16 (8 p.m.) at the Pairay stadium.
➤ U19 : Stade de Reims – FC Metz (16th day), Saturday January 17 (2:30 p.m.) at the Blériot stadium (2).
➤ Second League : AJ Auxerre – FC Metz (10th day), Saturday January 17 (3 p.m.) at the Abbé-Deschamps stadium (3).
➤ National 3 : FC Metz – Stade de Reims (13th day), Saturday January 17 (3 p.m.) at Frescaty.
➤ U19 women : Strasbourg – FC Metz (1st Excellence day), Sunday January 18 (2:30 p.m.) at the Entzheim municipal stadium.
➤ U17 : FC Metz – Illzach-Modenheim (16th day), Sunday January 18 (2:30 p.m.) at the Plaine de Jeux Saint-Symphorien.
➤ Ligue 1 : Strasbourg – FC Metz (18th day), Sunday January 18 (3 p.m.) at the La Meinau stadium.
Strasbourg – FC Metz: 616 Metz supporters expected and a prefectural decree published
The visitor parking lot at the Meinau stadium will be full this Sunday (3 p.m.) as 616 Metz supporters (9 buses) are expected for this match on the 18th day of Ligue 1.
The latter stipulates that “it is prohibited, on Sunday January 18, 2026, from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., for any person claiming to be a supporter of the Metz Football Club, or behaving as such, to drive or park on public roads on the following roads and perimeters:
➤ Strasbourg central station (SNCF), station square and adjacent streets; Grande-Île (or island ellipse) in downtown Strasbourg, place du Corbeau, rue des Bouchers, rue d’Austerlitz, place d’Austerlitz and rue de la Brigade Alsace-Lorraine;
➤ perimeter of the Plaine des Bouchers: rue des Frères Eberts, rue du Doubs, southern bypass, avenue de Colmar;
➤ surroundings of the Meinau stadium (avenue de Colmar, rue Montessori, rue de l’Extenwoerth, rue Staedel, rue de la Flachenburg, piste Georges Speicher and rue des Ciriers).
The only exception to this ban concerns supporters traveling by bus organized by the Metz Football Club and under escort of internal security forces. Travel in individual vehicles by FC Metz supporters is prohibited.”
📆 FC Metz – Lille scheduled
The LFP has unveiled the schedule for the 21st day of Ligue 1: FC Metz will host Lille at the Saint-Symphorien stadium on Friday February 6; kick-off at 8:45 p.m.
The Garnet calendar :
➤ Sunday January 11 (6 p.m.) : FC Metz – Montpellier (round of 16 of the Coupe de France).
➤ Sunday January 18 (3 p.m.) : Strasbourg – FC Metz (18th day of Ligue 1).
➤ Sunday January 25 (5:15 p.m.) : FC Metz – Olympique Lyonnais (19th day of Ligue 1).
➤ Sunday February 1 (5:15 p.m.) : Angers – FC Metz (20th day of Ligue 1).
➤ Friday February 6 (8:45 p.m.) : FC Metz – Lille (21st day of Ligue 1).
Programming for the last two days of the League 1 :
➤ Saturday May 9 (9 p.m.) : FC Metz – Lorient (33rd day of Ligue 1).
➤ Saturday May 16 (9 p.m.) : Nice – FC Metz (34th day of Ligue 1).
This Sunday (8 p.m.), the Lions of Téranga and their cohort of ex-Grenats will challenge Morocco at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat.
Sports betting: two ex-Garnets sanctioned
“The LFP Disciplinary Commission has decided to sanction players and educators from professional clubs who have not respected, for the 2024-2025 season, the ban on sports betting imposed by the Sports Code and the regulations of the FFF and the LFP. »
“This is the seventeenth file crossing, carried out with the assistance of the ANJ and the FDJ, since the 2013-2014 season. These offenses are committed even though, together, the LFP and the UNFP carry out awareness or information campaigns with clubs on a daily basis. »
“The Commission recalls that professional football players are generally prohibited from betting on all football competitions, whether domestic or foreign. »
After hearing the players or reading their letter of explanation, the Commission notably sanctioned two former FC Metz players: Clermont winger Maïdine Douane (3 matches of firm suspension) and FC Nantes goalkeeper Alexis Mirbach (call to order).
Vincent Thill joins Luc Holtz in German D3
Free from any contract since the end of October and his departure from Zira FK, a club from Baku in Azerbaijan, the former great Luxembourgish prospect of FC Metz, now aged 25, has signed up with the German club SV Waldhof Mannheim, ninth in the 3. Liga (3rd division).
Vincent Thill finds his former national coach, Luc Holtz, at the head of the team Bade-Huromberg since August 2025.
Trained within the Garnet house whose colors he wore among the pros between 2016-2020 (with two loans in Pau and Orléans), the Luxembourg international (57 caps) is therefore preparing to experience the 10th club of his career which has taken him to Portugal, Ukraine, Sweden and Azerbaijan.
