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Girondins de Bordeaux: understanding the Costil affair in six points

2022-04-01T06:30:24.847Z


While the Girondins de Bordeaux are bogged down in the sporting crisis, the incidents that occurred between goalkeeper Benoît Costil and the Ultramarines during the defeat against Montpellier (2-0) last Sunday, further divided the institution.


1- Reminder of the facts

After an altercation between Benoît Costil and his teammate Anel Ahmedhodzic, following the first goal conceded by the Girondins against Montpellier in the 12th minute, the match degenerated for the French international.

This banal clash is not to the taste of the supporters, and more particularly of the South Turn where the Ultramarines are, who will whistle the doorman at each touch of the ball until the end of the match.

The first association of Bordeaux supporters (just over 1,000 members) even goes so far as to accuse Benoît Costil of being racist.

At halftime of the match, the former Rennais explained himself to Florian Brunet, one of the leaders of the Ultramarines, and the two men found themselves head to head.

Costil will eventually return to the locker room by sending a sign to the South Turn signifying that the group of supporters would be sold.

At the end of the meeting, Benoît Costil decides to file a complaint for defamation.

Not enjoying a high popularity rating with Girondin supporters, will Benoît Costil wear the Marine et Blanc jersey this season?

This seems utopian, given the fracture between the different components of the club.

To discover

  • Calendar and results Ligue 1

  • League 1 standings

2 - The resentment of Girondin supporters towards Costil

Pierre Farges, supporter of the Girondins de Bordeaux since the 90s, and former community manager of the club with the scapular from 2016 to 2021 spoke about this affair for Le

Figaro

and put forward a hypothesis to explain the resentment of certain Girondins supporters towards their doorman “

He was the successor of Cédric Carasso who for once enjoyed an absolutely phenomenal sympathy capital with the supporters.

He had good seasons to the point that it allowed him to find the France team, that means he's a good goalkeeper.

But he was never really accepted by some supporters who reproach him for having taken the place of Carasso”.

His arrival at the Girondins to replace a player who will have spent 8 years at the club would therefore have displeased in the stands, despite the good operation carried out by the Aquitaine club at the time "

When he arrives, the club signs a 30-year-old French international goalkeeper for free, to replace a goalkeeper who is 34 or 35 and who has been seriously injured twice in the last 3 seasons”.

The story between the former Rennes player and the club with the scapular therefore got off to a bad start.

Last Sunday's altercation seems to have put an end to this failed marriage, as each party within the club tries to defend its interests.

3 - The trenchant position of the Ultramarines

In a press release published on the Twitter account, the Ultramarines explain that they have been aware for several months of racist acts on the part of the club's doorman, but have not reacted publicly to protect the institution, already in great danger sportingly.

Interviewed by Le

Figaro

, Vincent Romain, journalist for

Sud Ouest

reports that

“the Ultramarines are an openly anti-racist group, it has been part of their line of conduct since their creation.

They explain that they were aware but that they did not want to put it in the public square so as not to destabilize the team a little more.

So they alerted the club management.

If so, the first group of Girondins supporters may have spoken at the worst possible moment as the team are currently bottom of the league and are racing towards Ligue 2 nine games from the end of the season.

This reaction of the Ultramarines could also have taken the direction of course.

4 - The vagueness maintained by the management

Initially, Gerard Lopez will attack his players after the meeting, speaking of an “

inadmissible

” match in front of the press.

Then radio silence.

Management's response is long overdue and finally arrives on Tuesday, two days after the incidents, through a simple statement released by

Sud Ouest

.

The management is trying to hold on to both sides.

It's a situation that is a bit complicated for her.

We must not lose the support of the Ultramarines who have always been behind the team and the management since the start of the season.

But we must not lose the support of the locker room either,

 ”reports Vincent Romain.

He then details how this story would have been handled internally “A

At the club we are informed that a discreet internal investigation was launched in December.

The only problem is that when we talk about it within the club, absolutely no one was aware of this investigation.

Was she really very discreet or was she really launched, it's hard to say...

".

The vagueness therefore still reigns at present on the tangibility of this story and on its internal treatment.

The locker room meanwhile, clearly supported Benoît Costil, but also Laurent Koscielny, victim of the same accusations.

5 - The dressing room supports Costil and Koscielny

The players of the professional workforce have publicly supported their two teammates, via a statement sent once again to the Sud Ouest newspaper, in which they "

formally deny these accusations of racism

", which do not reflect the reality of the locker room.

A meeting between the two French internationals and their teammates would also have taken place, as Vincent Romain explains.

From what we know, the players are in solidarity with Costil and Koscielny.

There was a talk last week in the locker room, where Costil and Koscielny asked if there were any issues and whether to talk about them.

The general manager said the same thing to the workforce.

Nobody stepped up to say they had a problem.

So we can assume that there is none”.

Pierre Farges supports in this direction and declares "

I did not rub shoulders with the pro group that much but I made several trips with them, I have never seen any inappropriate actions on the part of Costil at this level so it's very surprising

".

Sunday's incidents would therefore not at first glance have had a negative impact on the atmosphere in the locker room as the players are united behind their two teammates.

On the other hand, this affair will surely leave its mark on Benoît Costil, who would have indicated that he wanted to leave the club in a hot reaction, before finally retracting.

6 - What future for Benoit Costil?

Can the winner of the 2021 Nations League still put on the navy and white tunic for the end of the season?

At first glance this seems very utopian, especially since the goalkeeper is coming to the end of his contract at the end of the season.

But in football more than anywhere else, everything is possible and Pierre Farges praises the mentality of the goalkeeper's competitor

“Costile is mentally very strong, someone proud.

I don't know if he was hit to the point of dropping the team, or on the contrary he wants to prove that he is stronger than that, and that even if there are 9 games left, he will do everything to leave the team in Ligue 1 and leave with the feeling of accomplishment.

I don't know how much it affected him."

Well in the group this week in training, Benoît Costil would be available to David Guion to face Lille on Saturday as revealed by

20 Minutes

.

The French international could then play his 180th match in Girondine colours.

Not certain, however, that the Bordeaux coach will take this risk without real support from management and a possible new reaction from the Ultramarines in the event of their scapegoat being established.

Source: lefigaro

All sports articles on 2022-04-01

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