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Coupe de France: Ferracci-Caïazzo, crossword

2020-01-17T16:10:04.837Z


Opponents this Saturday, in the 16th finals of the Coupe de France, the president of Paris FC and his Stéphanois counterpart, formerly stationed at the t


Pierre Ferracci, 67, the boss of Paris FC (L2) and Bernard Caïazzo, 65, chairman of the supervisory board of Saint-Etienne (L1) appreciate each other and share a similar vision of football. Before the 16th finals of the Coupe de France, the two men, gathered Thursday in a Parisian hotel, discussed at length.

"In Paris, everything is more complicated"

After having considered buying Matra Racing, Bernard Caïazzo became president of Paris FC, then in the 3rd division, in 1990. "I was barely over 30 years old, there was a form of unconsciousness in me, I didn't was not ready but I wanted to set up a 2nd club in Paris ”, explains the Forézien leader who reveals a forgotten story. "If Racing does not descend to D2, Canal + would have taken it over from PSG which had debts". He also remembers the day when PSG tripled the premium for a game of its reserve against the PFC… Caïazzo was surrounded by Carlos Bianchi (sports director), Pierre Lechantre (coach) and former pros like Da Fonseca and Umpierrez. "The second year in 1992, we miss the rise in D2 by one point, behind Melun who then filed for bankruptcy," he explains. But it was Amiens who was drafted. I found this system unfair and left. "Ah, is that the story?" ”, Questions Pierre Ferracci, who arrived at the PFC in 2006 as a director before becoming its president and majority shareholder in 2012. The two leaders agree on the fact that“ in Paris everything is more complicated than elsewhere ”. "There are the infrastructures, the weight of the PSG which crushes everything and the division of football in Ile-de-France, enumerates Ferracci. When I wanted to get closer to Red Star or Créteil, I was made to understand that it was as if Lyon and Saint-Etienne were merging… I too had the obsession with this 2nd club, I could have put everything on the first team, like others, but I preferred to build the foundations first even if it is longer. "Time must not be an enemy," says Caïazzo. "You Bernard, you haven't had that time at Paris FC," Ferracci replied. “If so many different people have failed, it is because in Paris everything is more complex, considers Caïazzo. The doors are difficult to open but as soon as they open, it can create perspectives. I admire leaders like Pierre who have invested in the amateur world. They have merit. "

"Saint-Etienne is a model"

The common point between Saint-Etienne and Paris FC is this shared desire to bet a lot on training. "It's the only way to outperform over time," says Caïazzo. "We have trained Konaté, Mukiele, current Bundesliga leaders with Leipzig or Toko-Ekambi who will sign for € 20 million in Lyon," recalls Ferracci. We created the conditions to keep this type of players in the future. To succeed, you need a stadium, a dynamic and a backbone with young Parisians trained at the club. "You're right, that's the way," said Caïazzo. “For several reasons, Saint-Etienne is a model and we inevitably envy it its popular base, which is its strength. "Did you save a lot of money?" Asked Caïazzo. " Not bad ! smiles Ferracci, the majority shareholder (96%). But this is the first year in which the club has made money. "Me, if we hadn't gone up to L2 when I arrived, it would have cost me € 7 million, insists Caïazzo, a 50% shareholder. Since then, I haven't lost any more. The Saint-Etienne sales process has often been mentioned as Paris FC will open its capital. "Before the end of the year," says Ferracci.

"President, it takes away years of life"

"You saw the head of Aulas, it looks like he is 90 years old! jokes Bernard Caïazzo. People don't realize. President, it's a priesthood, we age faster, it takes years of life. The share of pleasure is tiny compared to the annoyances… The year when we almost went down to L2, during the last match, I took a Lexomil and I asked my wife to wake me up with the result… ”Ferracci abounds. "The hardest part is reaching the grail, there are a lot of questions." After a good past year, the two clubs have known a similar fate this season: poor results and dismissed coach. "It is very difficult to repeat the same thing with the same players, they have a form of wear," considers Caïazzo. "This is what happened to us," says Ferracci. Admittedly, we missed our recruitment, but our executives from last season had trouble finding their level. "At such times, you shouldn't panic," continues Caïazzo. We must not add a crisis of result to an institutional crisis. We were lucky to take Claude Puel, I never imagined that he would agree to come to our place. "And did you see René Girard at the 19th in L2? "Laughs Ferracci. "Me with Puel, I now sleep better, as with Galtier or Gasset, I know where he is going," admits Caïazzo. "I have also found a form of serenity since the arrival of Girard," acknowledges Ferracci.

"Don't you have players to lend?" "

Bernard Caïazzo will discover Charléty this Saturday. "The Cup is cool, the dream is to take the green people to the Stade de France," he says. "No, drop the Cup, jokes Ferracci. Instead of putting the youths against PSG and taking 6-1, you should have done it against us. In our situation, the Cup can help us for the championship. But I am sure that Saint-Etienne and us will go back up. Don't you have players to lend us? The two presidents regret the limitation of the Prefecture of Police to 200 supporters towards the park. "The country is suffering and we are taking happiness away from people," sighs Caïazzo. "We don't take the problem of supporters the right way in France," concludes Ferracci. With all these prohibitions, we are going to kill popular football. "

Source: leparis

All sports articles on 2020-01-17

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