The Earth is round but that of Lot-et-Garonne is oval. When it comes to sport, the Football king is asked to leave his crown in the locker room and let the rugby players express themselves. Except this Saturday evening (8 p.m.) where the department will run a little more smoothly thanks to the 8e Coupe de France tour of FC Marmande. The Regional 2 club has given itself the right to dream of 32e final and its Ligue 1 clubs by welcoming Vierzon (National 3).
“Marmande has always been the stronghold of Lot-et-Garonnais football. This performance shows that we are not dead”
1,000 spectators are expected for this “historic”, “rare” and “remarkable” match in the words of the Marmandais leaders who, thanks to the career of their protégés, are shedding some light on a discipline that is orphaned by locomotives. “You have to be realistic. The District of Lot-et-Garonne lacks headliners, says the co-president of the FCM, Bertrand Tunica. People are not very “footbally” compared to other areas where football is much more popular. But it doesn't matter. In fact, we must make history. It's up to us to bring people in. »
Twenty year record
In a department where football attracts almost twice as many players (9,200) as rugby, no club ventures beyond the regional level. Suffice to say that an exploit in this prestigious competition can put the Marmandaise chapel back in the center of the village. “The sporting reality is that the department's club is the EBBE [Boé/Bon-Encontre en R1, NDLR] who already reached this level two seasons ago, adds the other co-president, Lyazid Bahlali. Even if, through history, Marmande has always been the stronghold of Lot-et-Garonnais football. And this is precisely where we want to put the FCM back, back to where it should be. This performance in the Coupe de France helps to show that Marmande is not dead. »
It is true that the post-Covid seasons have created a lot of turbulence on the Marmand side, between sporting relegation and departures of managers or coaches. But now, the FCM, its 400 licensees and its twenty loyal volunteers are carrying out an epic in 2024 that has not happened for more than twenty years and, already, an 8e tour against the professionals of TFC (Ligue 2) in 2002.
Marmande undefeated
Bertrand Tunica was already there, but as a player. A memory that the defeat conceded on penalties (1-1, 3 tab 5) does not alter in any way. “What I remember most is playing in front of a full stadium, which doesn't happen often in an amateur player's career. We had opened the score, we were leading against Toulouse of William Prunier and Christophe Revault and the public was in shock. It's normal to support Little Thumb. » A few years later, it was the fans of SU Agen Football who lost in 16e final against Antoine Kambouaré's PSG (2-3, in 2010) in front of 12,000 people in Armandie.
So, why not hope to walk in the shoes of their glorious elders? The FCM are not favorites against Vierzon who are playing two notches above, but since the start of the season and twelve matches (7 in the Coupe de France and 5 in the championship), the Marmandais have never experienced defeat.
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