The Stade Français is new with old

Doctor Wild does not hide his satisfaction. Its very pleasure. More than three months since the owner of the Paris club had gone to Jean-Bouin. For the reunion, last weekend, he went from good surprises to good surprises. Sparkling eyes, he says. “The offices, the locker rooms, above all, were dirty, messy, soulless. It is clean and beautiful there. ” He smiles. Satisfied. Finally.

We ask him if he has any regrets for having lost three years? "No," he says. Except that of not having met Thomas Lombard earlier. I always agree with him. We get along very well and I can really count on him. ” At his side, the director general of the SFP, appointed last October, would almost blush. Hans Peter Wild continues. “I have learned a lot about rugby and Stade Français in recent years. I understood that to run a rugby club, you need rugby players. ” A stone in the garden of Fabien Grobon and Hubert Patricot, from the business world…

“ Embodying a club, transmitting a culture, is a guarantee of security. It was not something we could observe before "

The Swiss-German businessman shows his hand to those who gravitate in the large reception hall, on the second floor of the Jean-Bouin stadium: Thomas Lombard, but also the new "Team manager" Christophe Moni, the head coach Gonzalo Quesada, back after two seasons in Argentina, not to mention his assistants Laurent Sempéré and Julien Arias. They all have the same particularity: having worn the Stade Français Paris jersey as players, having won titles, embodying the history of the team in a flash.

READ ALSO: Quesada: "Coming back to the Stade Français is not a plan B but a capital plan A"

"We have a team of people who know each other perfectly, who have shared great things with this jersey," adds Thomas Lombard. It is a symbol, not a coincidence. Successful clubs have this unity, this solidity in the staff. It is a strong signal of change. Embodying a club, transmitting a culture, is a guarantee of security. It was not something we could observe before. ” The South African Heyneke Meyer, head coach thanked last fall after having piled up conflicts with his players will appreciate…

Gonzalo Quesada is back AFP

The former center of the XV of France, who wore the jersey of the Stade Français Paris from 1997 to 2004, is behind this return to the past. He insisted on bringing Gonzalo Quesada, coach of the last French championship title, back in 2015, and left a season later due to disagreements with the new owner, Hans Peter Wild. “We look forward, taking into account what the elders have done for this club,” explains Lombard. The players must feel a strong base, the weight of the keepers of history. Gonzalo is the right person to relaunch the team. I did not wait for the Covid to contact him. I felt that a little pink flag was still floating inside him, that he had a taste of unfinished compared to his past history with the SFP. ”

“ The players asked me to stay, to continue losing money. I told them, “OK if you also contribute. Because you haven't done great things in the past three years ... '' ”

A “new cycle” (based on a few key words: “training and educating; bringing together and federating, innovating”), which has the total assent of Doctor Wild. “We are opening a new chapter based on solid values. For the first time since my arrival, I am proud to be at the head of the Stade Français. Everyone is united, speaks with one voice. The players are an integral part of the project. ”

While keeping the smile, the businessman then asserts a large veneer. “In the past three years, I have never felt that there was a real team. The players have never made our supporters and partners proud. From now on, I am sure that will be the case. I feel that the mentality of the players has changed, I see new attitudes. During these three years, I lost a lot of money, but there I believe very strongly. Something good is finally being born in this club… ”

READ ALSO: Argentinian Marco Kremer commits with Stade Français Paris

We feel him, indeed, finally happy with his troop. Serene. He thus appreciates the drop in wages agreed by the players. "An act of solidarity with Doctor Wild who has supported the club financially for three years", insists Thomas Lombard. Hans Peter Wild is jubilant. “Everyone agreed to a 20% cut in wages. I am very grateful to the players. They asked me to stay, to continue losing money. I told them "OK if you also contribute. Because you haven't done much in the past three years. ” They agreed. ”

Premises refurbished, highlighting the recent and glorious history of the SFP

The hour of confidences ends. Christophe Moni takes us by their arms, offers us a tour of the premises. Not a little proud. The offices of the Stade Français have been reorganized. Space, light, order. On the first floor, the office of the technical staff overlooks the weight room, lit by its extravagant and huge crystal chandeliers, memories of the Guazzini era. Everywhere, the paint has been redone. And, on the walls, from the entrance hall to the corridors, reads the rich history of the Stade Français Paris.

The reproductions of the fourteen Brennus shields gleaned for 120 years fill a whole section. Photos of the big names who have made the glory of the Parisian club for a quarter of a century succeed one another. Remind players, managers, staff and administrative staff that Paris deserves to be won. To wear this jersey requires excellence and ambition. That the 14th and last place in the truncated season is unworthy of this great club. Everything is ready to launch the new cycle. The reconquest. "We were saved by the bell," recalls Christophe Moni. He will take care, with other elders, that these fears do not happen again.

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