It's a great story that all the national media have been reporting on for several weeks. FC Espaly, a small club from Haute-Loire, will challenge the immense Paris Saint-Germain, the European cador. This is the magic of the Coupe de France. But don't talk to them about luck, at the risk of taking away some of their credit. The Espaviots are proud of their journey, the one that took them from the District to the Marcel-Michelin stadium this evening.
“We refused to go up because we didn’t want to get up early on Sundays”
Its president, Christian Perbet, speaks best about this trajectory. He who grew up a few meters from Viouzou, route de Saugues. Since he was 7 years old and joined his town's football club, he has accumulated nearly 50 licenses. This FCE lover finally took the reins in the early 2010s and allowed the Rouge et Noir to climb the ladder. “Before that, the club had always played in District. We could have moved up to the regional levels, but we refused because we didn't want to get up early on Sunday mornings,” he smiles.
But during his debut at the head of FC Espaly, Christian Perbet decided to grow the club, which was still at the departmental level. And the results did not take long to follow. In 2013, the Espaviots hosted Moulins, resident of CFA, at the Lafayette stadium, for a 6th round of the Coupe de France. Despite the five divisions difference, Espaly had done well by losing (0-2) with honors. In the months and years that followed, the Rouge et Noir rose through the ranks very quickly, with three successive climbs to reach the Honor level, equivalent to the current Regional 1, from 2015.
The new Viouzou, an important step
Once the best regional level was reached, the club took the time to build itself, before setting a new course and being able to integrate the national championships.
France
