Just over one goal every four minutes.
No need to have done extra math to measure the avalanche which fell in the cages of FC Septèmes, Sunday May 8, on the lawn of AC Arles, during the penultimate day of Regional 2. 22-1: the result of this meeting is now on everyone's lips in the microcosm of amateur football in the Mediterranean League.
This victory of the Arlesians is indeed tainted with suspicions of rigging.
The Regional League has chosen to open an investigation, as revealed by the L'Équipe website.
“I asked my services to seize the regional disciplinary commission of the opening of a file of suspicion of fraud with an investigation,” said the president, Éric Borghini.
In Regional 2 @lmedfoot, Arles regained 1st place from FC Martigues in the general goal average thanks to its success over Septèmes... 22 to 1!
A river score for Michel Estevan's men who are causing a lot of talk tonight... and in the days to come #Football #Amateur pic.twitter.com/AlOTvjME5C
– Eric STELLA (@EricStella13) May 8, 2022
If this match is talked about so much, it is because its river score, even oceanic, offers an undoubtedly decisive advantage to AC Arles in the race for the rise in Regional 1. Only one team goes up to the next level.
However, before this day, the co-leader FC Martigues still had a three-goal advantage in goal average.
Given that the latter won "only" 6-0 on his side, this 22-1 allows Arles to regain the lead with a 12-goal lead before the final day.
Or rather would, because as we can see on the League's website, the score is now up in the air.
"I would have agreed on a result that was not going to alert everyone"
All these suspicions shock the president of FC Septèmes.
Salah Nasri, 47, told Le Parisien that he even considered taking legal action against these accusations.
According to him, this sporting humiliation is only the logical continuation of a total demobilization of his group.
10th out of 12 in the standings, his flagship team is officially condemned to relegation with this defeat.
Read alsoInsults, assaults: amateur referee in Essonne, he tells of “French football which suffers even in our districts”
“We lost them for a while.
We tried somehow to gather players but we had to forfeit our reserve, which plays at the lowest departmental level (D 3), to be enough in the first team.
It is less expensive to cancel a match at the departmental level, justifies the manager, absent during this meeting.
I'm not very proud of this result, but we couldn't have done otherwise.
The reserve coach, who is 50, had to play and we have a 47-year-old guy who also put on his boots.
We could have taken 30, it was the same.
I never would have done that knowing the noise it was going to make.
I would have agreed on a result that was not going to alert everyone.
»
Salah Nasri attests that only two players present in the first leg, won 4-0, were still there on Sunday.
“Two weeks ago, two players squarely fought, we found ourselves at nine,” he laments.
“We smelled the smell of cannabis when they got out of their minibus”
These justifications did not really convince the president of Martigues, Alain Nersessian.
“Withdrawing or taking 22, what hurts the club more?
he wonders.
“As of Saturday, I had to write an email to the League, because there were rumors that Olympique Novais
(last in the championship)
intended to forfeit on the last day.
And therefore potentially prevent us from scoring more than three goals.
This story, plus what happened this Sunday, it makes people react.
You have to put yourself in my place.
»
On the Arles side, we confirm that we have come across a radically different squad from that faced in the fall.
"The facts are that Septèmes did not play," said a manager with L'Équipe.
They were two in training all week and arrived at 2:30 p.m. on the day of the match.
We even lent gloves to their keeper!
It's a bit crazy in the guinguette spirit: we smelled the smell of cannabis when they got out of their minibus.
The guys didn't want to play.
»
Regardless of the opposition, the winning club congratulated itself Sunday evening on its Facebook page on this success synonymous with first place.
Without indicating the score but quickly limiting the comments given the mountain of acerbic messages.