When will the killing game end?
Players injured due to poor support (Lopez and Diaby Fadiga forfeited Saturday in Caen, Mbow, Dabila, Kebbal affected in the adductors) and matches relocated to Bondoufle for the girls and to Caen (next Saturday) in L2... Charléty's lawn ruins the life of Paris FC and its supporters.
Under the spotlight of criticism, Pierre Rabadan, deputy mayor in charge of sports, responds.
How do you react to the comments of Paris FC president Pierre Ferracci in our columns?
PIERRE RABADAN
.
His remarks do not necessarily call for answers.
He has the right to alert.
As I said before, I too am furious about this situation.
Afterwards, it wasn't necessarily wise to schedule two matches that day... But I find, to say the least, awkward, even unfair, his questioning of the city of Paris' interest in football.
Concerning Paris FC, we invested nearly 5 million euros in three years for the Déjerine stadium (
in the 20th arrondissement
) and the transition to hybrid Charléty, even if we did not expect this result.
The city of Paris has provided resources, launched public contracts and released a substantial budget for the work, then stepped up maintenance.
We thought the problem would be resolved and we wouldn't have to relive last year's situation again.
But it's worse...
“The city of Paris has provided resources”
Pierre Rabadan
Over the past week, have you had contact with Paris FC?
Without making a comparison with another file (
Editor's note: the Parc des Princes and the PSG
), we are not in a situation where we have managed to no longer speak to each other.
Our teams and those of Paris FC see each other regularly.
Beyond what is said in the media, there have been technical exchanges in recent days.
Personally, I exchanged messages with Fabrice Herrault (
general director of the PFC
).
I didn't have Pierre Ferracci.
He said he would call Anne Hidalgo, he has her number…
Do you agree that playing a semi-final of the Paris FC-PSG Women's Cup in Bondoufle or relocating a Paris FC-Ajaccio to Caen is not very serious for the image of the city of Paris a few months before the Olympics ?
The Games have nothing to do with it even if some want to take us into that area.
But for the image I agree.
Charléty's situation is not acceptable.
Paris FC has the right to be unhappy.
I understand the club, the players and the supporters who are wronged.
I deplore this situation and I make the same observation as them.
“It was not me, nor the city services, who laid the lawn”
Pierre Rabadan
Charléty's lawn has even become dangerous.
Against Saint-Étienne, several Paris FC players were injured on poor support...
You're telling me this and it makes me even more angry.
I was a top athlete.
I know what it's like to play on a bad pitch.
On the networks, you nevertheless crystallize the criticisms of supporters and your political adversaries…
I don't mind having broad shoulders and people saying that Pierre Rabadan doesn't know how to manage a lawn... I live next to Charléty and even if I come to do some gardening in the evening, that won't help things.
The game at the moment is to say that the city of Paris is not doing the right thing.
It becomes a political object.
Everyone talks, writes but when we come out of this posture, what do we do now?
That's what interests me.
Beyond saying, Paris is not good, we must understand why laying the new lawn did not work.
It is not me, nor the city services who laid the lawn and who are responsible for its maintenance.
Due to the state of the Charléty pitch, Paris FC is “very seriously considering” relocating its next match to the Province
➡️ https://t.co/tiicEYx7z0 pic.twitter.com/uCsHEBdoQw
— The Parisian |
sport (@leparisiensport) March 8, 2024
Paris FC advocated a restoration of the pitch during the three weeks without L2 matches in February.
Why did you choose to go for summary work?
We were not closed to this option.
But we took opinions.
The people who take care of our maintenance say that if we had replaced it and it hadn't held up, it would have been even worse.
We would have re-plated, laid rollers but the weather was not good enough for there to be a chance that it would work and that the lawn would hold.
It was committing money for a result that was far from guaranteed.
What have you actually done in recent days?
We had made a deal with the company
(Sparfel
) which installed the hybrid at Orly where everything is obviously going well.
We must therefore understand what happened to Charléty.
We commissioned two laboratories.
We will have the results this week.
There are two questions: why did the lawn not stick to the hybrid substrate which is supposed to maintain it better?
The roots of the grass and the hybrid, which were supposed to mix, did not take hold, perhaps there was not enough time to make the connection.
Then, why is there a problem with water circulation?
There may therefore be a fault in the design and installation of the lawn.
In this case, it wouldn't just be a question of maintenance.
Read alsoChanged this summer and already in a catastrophic state: the Charléty lawn is still ruining the life of Paris FC
The service provider responsible for maintenance, the company Botanica, however, seems to have been very failing for over a year…
They were asked to strengthen their interview.
They tell us they do it.
But their contract ends at the end of the year, we can launch a new call for tenders.
And in the short term, how will Paris FC be able to finish the season correctly at Charléty?
Every day, I tell my teams, get out of your way (
sic
) so that Paris FC can play peacefully at Charléty.
We will take the necessary measures to ensure that this is the case.
The results of the laboratory analyzes will determine the solutions that we will quickly put in place.
“Everyone will then have to assume their responsibilities”
Pierre Rabadan
In the worst case scenario, would you be willing to completely replace the lawn?
Maybe.
If it has to come to that, we will.
But that will mean that people did their job badly.
Everyone will then have to assume their responsibilities.
The city of Paris would have the right to take action against the operator.
Paris FC has asked to take over management of the pitch.
What do you think ?
I am not opposed.
I am even in favor of this option because only Paris FC is playing on it now.
But Charléty hosts 2-3 events per year.
If they take over management and we don't have the right to use the lawn... We will have to find common ground.