They are the recurring characters in a story that has become a great sport classic. The little one who hits the big one in the Coupe de France, the amateurs suddenly propelled heroes of their city and personal dreams of rising in the hierarchy of French football. From Calais to Carquefou via Quevilly, three former heroes of the competition tell their second life after the epic, on the occasion of the 16th finals which are held until Monday.
"I would have liked to help amateur football"
Ladislas Lozano, finalist in 2000 with Calais (CFA)
Before him, Calais was known for its port and its citizens. In 2000, Ladislas Lozano hoisted the local club, then in CFA (4th division), until the final. En route, he eliminated Strasbourg and Bordeaux, defending French champion, and attracted all eyes in a France intoxicated by the exploits of the Calaisians. At the Stade de France, Lozano and his men fell against Nantes (1-2). The coach earns a reputation for big mouths, with critical media outlets on professional football and its training centers.
“The Coupe de France did me a lot of good but also a lot of harm,” says Ladislas Lozano. I was cataloged by people who didn't know me at all. I will not go so far as to say that I found myself on a black list, but when a leader like that of Strasbourg at the time denied having met me, it must have been a little ashamed to associate with me… "
"I could have had Guardiola as a player"
Twenty years later, the coach born in Spain trained a little in France (Reims, Créteil or Fleury-Mérogis) and a lot in the Maghreb and Qatar, where he often settled down since 2002. “I was part of the first stage of this rocket that bought the PSG and will organize a World Cup in 2022, he slips. Within three months, I could have had Pep Guardiola as a player there. "
Returning to France in 2014, Lozano sent dozens of applications to amateur clubs. In vain. Even his foot calls to Calais remained unanswered. He now lives in Haute-Garonne, near his eldest daughter who married Cédric Jandau, Calais striker in the semi-final (3-1) against Bordeaux. Today, the ex-coach delves into his archives to prepare an exhibition for the 20th anniversary of the epic.
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“I would have liked to help, even on a voluntary basis, amateur football. I love being on the edge of a field. In 2012, I agreed to troubleshoot and coach the Castanet-Tolosan reserve. One weekday evening, we played outside in front of three or four spectators. One of them said to me: Lozano, you fell very low . I did not answer. What does this guy know about my life and what brought me there? "
"I have experienced many disappointments"
Idrissa N'Doye, OM tumbler and quarter finalist in 2008 with Carquefou (CFA 2)
To discuss the Coupe de France with one of its one-night stars, just push the door of Prem's or Sablais, two tobacco shops in Thouars (Deux-Sèvres). "I kill time here, I almost feel like I live there," breathes Idrissa N'Doye. Twelve years earlier, the Beaujoire stadium howled the name of the Senegalese. On March 19, 2008, Carquefou's striker deceived OM goalkeeper Cédric Carrasso. Marseille will not recover. In the quarter, PSG shower the hopes of the team of the suburbs of Nantes which evolves in CFA 2, the 5th division. Not N'Doye's.
"It hurts me to think back to this story, I lived a lot of disillusionment after, slides the one who hung up in the summer of 2017 after a last attempt at Thouars. Many agents offered me crazy things. I couldn't see anything happening. And then I made a lot of bad choices… ”A year and a half after Carquefou, the Senegalese who entered Europe through Portugal where he was going to join his uncle, finds himself in Slovakia. Where a professional contract awaits him at the club in Ružomberok, a town in Slovakia nestled near the Polish border.
"I didn't understand the language and people looked at me with curiosity because I was the only black man," he recalls. After three months, we agreed to terminate. »Return to France and to amateur clubs in the West: Châteaubriant, La Châtaigneraie then Thouars. A club that he left shortly after his arrival in 2017. “I had no motivation, I decided to stop. "
At 33, he found a job to maintain the city's green spaces. Today unemployed, he walks the streets of Thouars with his CV. “I cut off all contact with football. Most people here don't know who I am, he says. Once, someone at the bar-tabac told me about the Carquefou epic in the Coupe. I told him I was part of it, he didn't believe me. I had to show him a video on the Internet to prove it. "
"Life wanted it to fall on me"
Pierrick Capelle, 2012 finalist with Quevilly (National)
On January 5, Angers moved to Dieppe (N 2), who fell from one of the best teams in Ligue 2, Lens, in the previous round. In the locker room of the SCO, Pierrick Capelle knows even better than his teammates what awaits him. "I was this amateur player who waits for the pros, I can't take them high and tell me about it when I arrive on the field," he explains. I warned all my partners. Angers won 3-1, thanks to a double from their midfield.
In 2012, the young man who intended to become a teacher of EPS the previous year among plane lovers found himself propelled to the fore with the course of Quevilly. The Norman team, then in National, rose to the Stade de France. In the final, she fell on the OL of Lisandro Lopez (1-0). End of the dream, but coach Régis Brouard signs at Clermont (L 2) and takes Capelle with him, who has never been to a professional training center.
"I find it so beautiful to be there"
"I arrived with the double label of ex-amateur player and son of the coach ," he recalls. After a few months, it got better. "Three years later, the industry attracted the attention of Angers, who introduced him to Ligue 1." Sometimes I tell myself that life could have been different and that I could still be among amateurs while working at side, he slides. In Quevilly, many had the level to go higher. Life wanted it to fall on me. Now, I enjoy it every day, I find it so beautiful to be there. "
At 32, Pierrick Capelle refuses to talk about retirement. “Setting a date is guaranteed death. We will see where it all leads me, there I feel good. I met players who went through centers who have only lived off football for 14 years. Some are used by this sport. "