A rhythmic first period, a slightly more gloomy second, the results of the 32nd round of the Coupe de France… on the supporters' side.
Around 150 Strasbourg supporters traveled to Calais for Racing's entry into the Coupe de France and the last match of the year. It must be said that the poster is tempting: Calais is also Racing, their colors are blood and gold, they are in the Pas de Calais department… they are not our Lensois brothers, but not far away.. . our Calais half-brothers? Come on, it’s the demifrérico!
Arrival at the stadium is smooth with a large security system: local know-how, in a territory where many people are trying to leave Europe. But not Racing, which comes to Calais with the firm intention of getting closer. Europe or death? It will go through Calais.
Inaugurated in 2008, the Stade de l'Epopée is a nice small closed stadium with 12,000 seats. Its name refers to the Calais epic in the Coupe de France, which notably saw the elimination of Racing. But it is no longer the same team: RC Calais, which plays in N3, was founded in 2023 by the merger of Grand Calais Pascal FC with Calais FC Hauts-de-France. However, local supporters have sharp memories and a banner sits at the foot of the small local kop behind the goals:
Citation: 24 years later, it's up to you to write history
This stadium is not unknown to Racing who came there at the same stage of the competition to face Le Portel in 2020. It is a stadium which saw Benjamin Corgnet score. Except for the presidential stand, each stand has its own mini kop. The local speaker is completely inaudible (there we are not disoriented). He launches chants that fall flat and crashes during the minute of silence by adding names to which tribute must be paid after the referee has whistled the start of the minute. Our kop is in 1/4 turn. The view is good: good slope, no safety nets. The refreshment bar serves beer. All the lights are green. Except perhaps those gusts of wind which destabilize the cups of beer and those who have already drunk too much.
After the traditional 1/4 hour of silence, the kop launches a thunderous “Allez Racing Allez” which will have a small effect on the visibly impressed neighboring supporters. In the Strasbourg parking lot the atmosphere is good and rhythmic, ignoring the match on the pitch which is quite dull. The stadium wakes up during the Calais counter-attacks but we regain the upper hand after the penalty saved by Johnsson.
After the break, our kop's performance falls off a bit. It doesn't matter, on the field Racing takes over and gets out of the slump thanks to Santos and Mara. The goals scored on the other side of the field will only be very weakly celebrated by our kop, who obviously don't care a bit about what happens on the field. “We don't care about the end-of-year holidays, what matters is being together” says the capo before launching a “Strasbourgeois come on” to the tune of vive le vent. It's the party, it's the end. All the players come obligingly to greet the Strasbourg parking lot which continues to sing. The Calais supporters take our picture and several scarf exchanges take place (farewell my beautiful stork. A very friendly atmosphere and a contract fulfilled by all the Strasbourg protagonists).
Exiting the stadium is quick and hassle-free. The police blocked the access to let the Strasbourg supporters who came in personal vehicles leave, while the defeated local supporters paid for traffic jams to let us pass. We will come back with pleasure. It is now a stadium which saw Benjamin Corgnet score, and Sékou Mara double.
