The final of the French Football Cup, Saturday May 7, is a bit of a meeting point for nostalgia and memories of glorious days. Just like for their adversaries of the day, the Nantes Canaries, the 105and edition of the oldest round football competition in France will be an opportunity for the Aiglons of Nice to dust off the trophy cabinet.
The Olympique gymnast club Nice will find the Stade de France and a final of a national competition for the first time in sixteen years: in 2006, the “Gym” lost to AS Nancy Lorraine (2-1 ) in the League Cup epilogue. The last line on the Riviera club’s list dates back to 1997: it was already a Coupe de France, won against Guingamp in a final that was settled on penalties, at the Parc des Princes.
The trip to Saint-Denis (Seine-Saint-Denis), Saturday, where the 20,000 places allocated to Nice supporters for the final of the Coupe de France quickly found takers, comes at a turning point in the overhaul of the Riviera club, which has begun. three years ago.
Halted dynamic
In 2019, OGC Nice has indeed changed gear. Bought by Ineos, a group specializing in chemicals, the club is now the property of Jim Ratcliffe, one of the greatest British fortunes.
The new shareholder has set itself a goal: to ensure that, quickly, the red and black play the leading roles again in the top table of the national championship of Ligue 1 and are able to compete in a European Cup.
The ambitious project gained momentum in the summer of 2021 with the arrival of Christophe Galtier, one of the most courted French coaches. “Wherever Ineos goes, they win. They are on the fastest car in Formula 1 [Mercedes]. They are on boats and bicycles [Ineos a pris la suite de Sky dans le sponsoring d’une équipe cycliste] fastest in the world »underlined the French champion coach in 2021 with Lille in an interview with The Team just before signing for Nice.
The last summer transfer window also testified to the new ambitions of the club, which invested 30 million euros to strengthen its workforce; with the notable arrival of Algerian striker Andy Delort (30), poached from Montpellier.
“The Achilles heel of this talented youth is their inconstancy” Eric Roy, former Nice coach
The effects were felt in the fall: at the end of December, halfway through the championship, Nice was the dolphin of PSG. But since the start of 2022, the dynamic has slowed down a bit. Three days before the end of Ligue 1, OGC Nice fell to fifth place. “The coming month and a half is the most important in the last twenty years for the club”affirmed, in mid-April, the sports director, Julien Fournier, in the columns of Nice morning. The Aiglons had just been corrected by Lens (3-0) after a match in which Christophe Galtier had qualified his players as “tourists”.
high stakes
Since then, the Aiglons have snatched precious victories against Lorient, Troyes and Bordeaux. But “the team lacks technical accuracy”, notes Patrice Alberganti, ex-Gym striker who now comments on the meetings at the microphone of France Bleu. Like Amine Gouiri (22) – whose counters have been stuck at 10 goals and 7 assists in the league since January – but also Justin Kluivert (23), Calvin Stengs (23) or even Kasper Dolberg (24 years), “the Achilles heel of this talented youth is its inconstancy”, remarks Eric Roy, former coach of OGC Nice, now a consultant for France Télévisions and RMC Sport.
This end of the season is a double-edged sword. Access to the final podium is not yet excluded and, with him, Christophe Galtier’s players can still believe in qualifying for the prestigious Champions League. But, three days before the end of the championship, Nice will have to make up for their delay of 5 points on the second, Marseille, and the 2 points which separate them from Rennes and Monaco.
A fourth place would also be synonymous with Europe, as it opens the way to qualification for the Europa League, the “little sister” of the Champions League. Just like a success in the final of the Coupe de France. Suffice to say that, on Saturday evening, the stakes will be high for the Aiglons.
And Nice has reason to believe it because after eliminating PSG at home in the round of 16, then Olympique de Marseille in the quarterfinals – the two best French teams at the moment – the Riviera club will face, on Saturday, a opponent he has already beaten twice this season in Ligue 1.
Jim Ratcliffe wants to buy Chelsea
What will be the place of OGC Nice in Ineos’ future plans? The question has arisen since the owner of the Riviera club, Jim Ratcliffe, applied for the takeover of the English club Chelsea, making the people of Nice fear a certain internal downgrading in favor of the Blues, reigning European champions. According to the BBC, the first offer of up to 4.25 billion pounds sterling (about 5 billion euros) transmitted on Friday April 29 would have been rejected, but Mr. Ratcliffe assured “don’t give up” to this takeover. In a press release published on the OGC Nice website, the owner wanted to reassure the red and black supporters. “I want to see us play in the European Cup next season, and I can assure you that we will continue to take care of the club and its future.”, he said. The regulations of the Union of European Football Associations prohibit two clubs owned by the same owner from participating in the Champions League. In fact, RB Leipzig and RB Salzburg, both in the bosom of the Red Bull group, have not been prevented from playing in the 2021-2022 competition.