A place of amateur leader in his group of N2 and now a qualification for the 32nd finals of the Coupe de France ... Beyond the ambitious speeches since the takeover by the real estate group Fiducim-City and the creation of a SAS (company par actions simplified), something is really happening at Versailles, in this club long asleep in the shadow of the castle and somewhat penniless.
Even if the public was less numerous than expected (cold? Ticket prices?) For this derby of 78 against Poissy, it has been a long time since we had seen such an atmosphere at the Montbauron stadium.
After the few incidents in the league, the supporters of Poissy were wisely placed in front of the main stand.
The Versailles kop is entirely made up of young people from the club.
In addition to the stadium not approved for the level above and where it is impossible for the moment to put a light on account of the proximity of the room of the… Roi Soleil, to give a popular impetus to this club, will be the other challenge new ambitious shareholders.
"Their project is interesting, it will make people talk about Versailles in another way, but it will take a long time to create a real identity and bring people in," said this regular at the stadium.
Read also Paris FC, Créteil, Red Star and Linas-Monthléry: the Ile-de-France teams received 4 out of 4 in the Coupe de France
On the VIP side, the comic Booder multiplies the selfies in the stands.
But he came to support his friend, Walid Aïchour, the coach of Poissy.
New general manager of Versailles, Jean-Luc Arribart is in London to comment on Chelsea - Manchester United.
But, visibly tense, he multiplies the texts to keep abreast of the evolution of the score from a distance.
https://t.co/AMOiuhgZxy pic.twitter.com/j7NRxJDTZU
- Wil Giddey⚡️ (@ BlazR7) November 28, 2021
On the pitch, as you might expect, we are witnessing a real Cup match.
Between the two clubs, some antagonisms have arisen in recent weeks.
The leaders of Poissy reproaching their counterparts from Versailles for having sought to debauch some of their players… The captain of Poissy Clément Chantôme, the former midfielder of PSG, is often chambered by the public.
The game is tense.
Tension mounts after a goal denied to Poissy
Top scorer for Versailles in the league (6 goals) but replacing at kick-off, the Corsican Christopher Ibayi frees his team after a great collective action (1-0, 75th). The tension rises again a notch after the equalizer of Poissy refused for an offside (77th). Walid Aïchour, Poissy's trainer, is beside himself. At the last minute, Dan Delaunay wins his duel against Kapo Sylva and preserves the qualification of Versailles (1-0). The goalkeeper was one of Rumilly's heroes last season who reached the semi-finals of the Coupe de France. Victim of the Covid when he arrived in Versailles, Delaunay does not start in the league and only plays Cup matches.
In the locker room, the two shareholders Christophe Petit and Julien Ridon come to congratulate the players. They are accompanied by the mayor of Versailles, François de Mazières, whose appearances at the stadium are rather rare ... "It was an undecided match," said Versailles coach Youssef Chibhi. I can understand Poissy's frustration. It was difficult but we were able to show determination. After our first defeat in Caen, this kind of match will prepare us well for the next ones in the league. I am a man of the field. I am not commenting on what we have heard lately. But what I see is that today we have been able to make a whole club proud and unite around its first team. The most important thing for me is cohesion and I want to continue along this path. "
A student in a physiotherapy school, Maël Durand de Gevigney (22) is captain of Versailles.
"It's nice to see his training club evolve in this way," he admits.
Today was a fight and we gave everything.
We were put in the best conditions this season (morning training).
If people like that arrive at the club, we owe it to them to get out there and live up to it.
For the 32nd finals, a big team would be good, but we don't necessarily have a preference.
"
Match sheet
VERSAILLES (N2) - POISSY (N2): 1-0 (0-0)
Spectators: 800
Referee: M. Prevot.
Goal
.
Ibayi (75th).
Warnings
.
Versailles: Kheche (30th), Poissy: Arnaud (68th), Sebastiao (80th), Dembele (90th).
Versailles:
Delaunay - Pham Ba, Durand de Gevigney (cap.), Gnahoré, Traoré - Vieira, Diarrassouba (Berkak, 70th) - Kerkour (Fardin, 82nd), Michel, Kheche (Ibayi, 70th) - Djoco (Alledji, 87th) .
Entr.
: Chibhi.
Poissy
: Thumarin - Thetika (Sebastio, 68th), Konté, Rouane, Skolski - Chantôme (cap.), Gassama, Dembele - Touré, Sylva, Djedje (Arnaud, 64th).
Entr.
: Aïchour.
In the other match on Sunday, Chatou (R1) who led 3-1 lost 4-5 against Chartres (N2).
The draw for the 32nd final takes place this Monday (7 p.m.) at the Parc des Princes and marks the entry of the L1 clubs.
In addition to PSG, there will be 5 Ile-de-France teams: Paris FC, Red Star, Créteil, Versailles and Linas-Montlhéry.