The Coupe de France, a little fresh air for some amateur football clubs

The Coupe de France resists everything. Even the Second World War did not prevent the holding of the oldest football competition in France. However, the Cup had almost been buried for the 2020-2021 season, due to the health crisis. This is what the Prime Minister, Jean Castex, suggested on December 2, 2020 on BFM-TV, after asserting that outdoor amateur team sports could not resume in mid-December.

The Cup woke up with a start on January 19: the French Football Federation (FFF) decided to schedule the 6^e round of the competition ten days later, the next three rounds to follow, spaced one week apart each time (the 7th round takes place from Friday 5 to Sunday 7 February). But the announcement of this calendar surprised the clubs, and sometimes caused misunderstanding.

“We were not at all prepared and we doubted the consistency of the decision”, explains Florian Brame, coach of AS Marck (Pas-de-Calais), a team playing in Regional 1, the sixth level in France. Same reaction in Saint-Jean-de-Braye (Loiret) or in Billère (Pyrénées-Atlantiques), where the pennant teams had also been put to sleep, despite the maintenance of one or two weekly training sessions – lightened and without authorized contact. in the field.

Another change compared to other years: amateurs and professionals start in two distinct “tracks” before joining from the 16^es final, or the 10^e tower. Ligue 2 clubs played a first round on January 19 and 20 and will be joined in 32^es final by Ligue 1 clubs from February 9 to 11.

The programming of the 32nd Finals of the Coupe de France (channel L1 / L2)! RDV Tuesday 9, Wednesday 10 and Thursday 11 Feb … https://t.co/N9n3mjYp4h

– coupedefrance (@Coupe de France)

“There was no consultation, proposals made to the clubs. Is football above other sports in claiming that matches are held? “, critic Eric Thomas, president of the French Amateur Football Association and several times candidate against Noël Le Graët for the presidency of the FFF.

“Parenthesis in a gloomy life”

This incomprehension among the amateurs could go as far as the decision not to play the matches, by withdrawing. Like Flers (Orne), who plays in 6^e division and which was the first to throw in the towel on January 23, clubs have cited the risk of injury for players deprived of proper training sessions and a sense of responsibility for the health situation. In Marck, who finally played Saturday, January 30, two defenders left the field prematurely for muscle injuries.

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