Montluçon Football Faces a 1,000-Kilometer Round Trip to Rennes
Montluçon Football faces a grueling 1,000-kilometer round trip to face Cercle Paul Bert Bréquigny in Rennes after the seventh-round draw for the Coupe de France, a logistical hurdle that sparked sharp criticism from Mickaël Bessaque.
The draw, conducted on October 28, placed the club from the Allier department into a geographic pool alongside sides from Brittany and the Pays de la Loire. Clubs situated much closer to the West could have been assigned to this group, leaving Montluçon to draw the longest trip to Rennes.
Mickaël Bessaque Criticizes the Draw
The resulting itinerary requires the squad to undertake nearly ten hours of road travel for fixtures scheduled on November 14 or 15. The geographic grouping triggered an immediate rebuke from the coach.
🏆 | COUPE DE FRANCE Si le Clermont Foot et Montluçon se qualifient, nous aurons un derby auvergnat au prochain tour ! Et surtout, un match particulier pour le coach de Montluçon, un certain « Mickey » Bessaque …#CF63
Là il faut qu’on m’explique car c’est un scandale,
Mickaël Bessaque stated in an interview with La Montagne. C’est juste irrespectueux pour le club que l’on est. Je n’ai pas peur de le dire, nous sommes gérés par des incompétents qui sont en train de tuer le foot amateur. Heureusement qu’on a un président hors norme, qui va faire ce qu’il faut, car franchement c’est une honte !
Fabrice Loisy Steps In to Cover Hotel Costs
To mitigate the physical strain of the journey on November 14 or 15, Fabrice Loisy intervened to support the traveling party. Loisy confirmed to the regional press that he plans to cover overnight hotel accommodations for the squad, ensuring the players arrive in optimal physical condition to face their opponents.
Beyond the immediate test in Rennes, the draw also sketched out a potential path for the eighth round. If Montluçon successfully navigates its fixture against the Cercle Paul Bert Bréquigny, the club could host Clermont Foot (Ligue 2) on home turf.
Broader Coupe de France Pairings Across Regional Leagues
The October 28 draw at Roland-Garros set up ties nationwide for clubs from Occitanie, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, and beyond. In Occitanie, local rivals Balma and Castanet were paired together for a regional derby in the seventh round. Other fixtures announced for Occitanie clubs include Nîmes Olympique against AC Seyssinet-Pariset, Montpellier HSC against FC Balagne, and FC Pau against Lourdes FC. Additional pairings feature Rodez against Versailles, Mazères against the Stade Bordelais, the Juventus de Papus against Rochefort, Les Héraultais de Magalas against Claira / Saint-Laurent, the Grau du Roi against the Riviera FC, and the Avenir Foot Lozère against the entente Crest-Aouste. Another regional club, the FC Deux Rives 82—an association of Golfech, Goudourville, and Auvillar in the Tarn-et-Garonne—will be opposed to Trélissac, while Montpellier Atlas Paillade will face Cannes.
Meanwhile, clubs in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté learned their matchups during a federation draw attended by France women’s national team coach Laurent Bonadei, his assistant Stéphane Saillant, former professional defenders Lionel Potillon and Jean-Pascal Mignot, and FFF goalkeeper coach and 2018 world champion Franck Raviot. Those regional representatives now prepare for their respective fixtures ahead of the national weekend window.
Match Schedule and Upcoming Fixtures
The seventh-round encounters across all regional and national groups are officially slated for November 14 and 15, when clubs across France will contest their places in the eighth round of the competition.
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