With a multitude of favorites alongside the Red Star, Châteauroux, Laval, Bourg-en-Bresse, Le Mans, Orléans and Villefranche, the National promises to be still hotly contested.
Créteil and Chambly will be more of the outsiders.
It's the year or never for the Red Star
With the reconstruction of the Bauer stadium and the move to its new training center in Marville, the Red Star will finally be able to benefit from efficient infrastructures. But if he had a derogation to keep his pro status, the club can no longer afford too much to vegetate in the National where he descended in 2019. Much appreciated by its president, Vincent Bordot, solicited, finally extended for a year . The staff was reinforced by the arrival as deputy of Habib Beye, as part of the preparation of his diplomas.
With ten arrivals for 20 departures, the workforce has been greatly modified and tightened.
Alongside the flagship rookie, the experienced (38 years) Ludovic Butelle, several L2 players have arrived such as El Hriti Chambly, Dieng (Rodez), Bosca and Vialla, who came from Dunkirk with the new recruiting manager Kevin Lesportes.
The Red Star will always be able to count on Cheick Ndoye, who resigned for 3 years and found a second youth following his setbacks in Angers (knee injury and lawsuit with the club).
Créteil wants to turn the page
As recognized by Rui Pataca, its general manager "if it had been a normal season, Créteil would have been relegated to N2". Plagued by a disastrous second part of the season (2 wins, 2 draws, 13 losses) and 3 changes of coach, Créteil was drafted after finishing 17th. With sixteen departures for 14 arrivals, the club has left on a new basis. If goalkeeper Stéphane Veron who has often saved his team has retired, he will be replaced by the 3rd of the Mandanda siblings, Riffi, who played in Norway at Kongsvinger. Arrived in March, Emmanuel Da Costa, who had brought Quevilly to L2 in 2017, was able to build "a team that looks more like him with players he knew" like Alexis Araujo (Lyon Duchère).The experienced Sébastien Flochon (Chambly) also arrived as three young hopefuls from Paris FC, forwards Patrick Koffi and Andy Pembelé (ready) and defender Thomas Némouthé.
A new cycle begins in Chambly
Relegated after two years in Ligue 2, Chambly is giving himself "3 years to go back up and humbly aiming for a place in the top 10", according to its president Fulvio Luzi.
After two years of exile in Beauvais, the team will return to its Marais stadium while awaiting the end of the legal imbroglio concerning the delivery of the new Walter Luzi stadium.
The descent was accompanied by the departure of many historical players (Pontdemé, Soubervie, Jaques, Popelard, Flochon, El Hriti, Eickmayer, Guezoui, Gonzalez, Danger, Camelo, Martin, L. Doucouré, Correa…).
An economical choice with a budget down 65%.
“The number one goal has been to save as many jobs as possible.
We are removing only 12. Salaries no longer have anything to do with L2.
Some understood it, others did not, ”explains Fulvio Luzi.
But the choice is also sporty.
"We had arrived at the end of the cycle and it was necessary to start again on a new page, estimates the trainer Bruno Luzi.
It's regenerating to rebuild a group.
As for the recruits, most come from the lower divisions, only Jordan Pierre-Charles (ex-AC Ajaccio), Martin Sourzac (Nancy), Samed Kilic and Grégory Berthier (ex-Auxerre) have experienced L2.
Day 1 (Friday at 7 p.m.):
Créteil-Avranches (Duvauchelle stadium), Concarneau-Red Star, Boulogne-Chambly.