2024-01-09 21:36:28
A real headache. When a “small” Ile-de-France club has a great adventure in the Coupe de France, it is almost systematically caught up by the inadequacy of its infrastructure. And faced with the difficulty of finding a place to fall back in a short time, the decision to reverse the meeting becomes inevitable. The examples are numerous. The latest dates back to 2022 during the FC Versailles epic. The Yvelines club, then in N2 (4th division), had resigned itself to playing its semi-final against Nice at the Allianz Riviera. New example to date: the 16th final between Racing (N2) and Lille, 5th in L1.
With the renovation of the Yves-du-Manoir stadium for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, Racing has been forced since last season to relocate its National 2 matches to Versailles and to the Le Gallo stadium in Boulogne-Billancourt. Two speakers that are not up to standard. Racing leaders are obliged to find approved land in Île-de-France, in a neighboring region or to travel to Lille by Thursday at 11 a.m. As soon as the draw was announced, the Lille leaders called their Racing counterparts to offer to welcome them to the Pierre-Mauroy stadium.
“The security aspect concerns me and we must not take any risks”
A solution which is not ruled out by the Hauts-de-Seine club. This is even the current trend according to our information. The match will take place on Sunday January 21 at 5:30 p.m. “Playing at home seems to be the most reasonable option,” confirms Racing president Patrick Norbert. We are delighted with the opportunity to see the Yves-du-Manoir stadium renovated for the Olympics and to be able to benefit from it next season but we find ourselves penalized for this meeting. It would be sad to travel for Racing’s first round of 16 in 30 years. We hope to find a solution that could satisfy us in the Paris region. For the moment this remains very complicated because there is real security to be organized around the reception of a major L1 club. »
The options to play the match in Chambly or Beauvais are ruled out by Racing due to the distance. As well as the Robert-Bobin stadiums in Bondoufle and Duvauchelle in Créteil, considered too far away for supporters of the Hauts-de-Seine club. What remains is the Jean-Bouin stadium, the den of Stade Français rugby players, where FC Versailles (National) has been playing since last season, as well as the Charléty enclosure, home of the men’s (L2) and women’s (D1) sections of the Paris FC. But the cost of rental and security is too expensive for a 4th division amateur club.
“We would like to experience this pleasure in its entirety but that is not the case,” confides Patrick Norbert. The pleasure of facing an L1, of trying to shake them up is destroyed by organizational problems. If we play Lille, it almost completely destroys our chances of qualifying. The security aspect concerns me and we must not take any risks. » There is only a little more than a day left for the Ile-de-France leaders to find a solution and offer their public the 16th final of Racing in the Paris region. The race against time is on.
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