This Saturday, SU Dives-Cabourg will play the second 1/32e final of the Coupe de France in its history, 25 years after the first. On this occasion, the editorial staff of FOOT NORMAND devotes a special week to the Côte Fleurie club. Third part of our series of reports with a focus on the Reunion of Saint-Denis FC player, Mamoudou Diallo, who played for SUDC.
Last December 2, when the 1/32 drawes final of the Coupe de France was made at the Parc des Princes, a premonition took hold of the Saint-Denis FC striker, Mamoudou Diallo. Realizing that SU Dives-Cabourg was placed in the same group as his Reunion club, the 39-year-old had an intuition. “I still had a little something that told me that we could meet Dives-Cabourg”he says. “And the more the draw went by, the more it advanced, the more I told myself and as if by chance we were finally going to meet Dives-Cabourg. It’s the club where I played before returning to Reunion, and frankly, that made me happy. It was still nice to see this print.”. The one who grew up in Honfleur only spent a season and a half at SUDC, between 2019 and 2020, but he has great memories. “I experienced the rise from Regional 1 to National 3”remembers the attacker, even if the period in question was turned upside down by Covid-19. “Afterwards, I only stayed six months in National 3 before leaving because I was offered to return to Reunion. Dives is one of the clubs in Calvados where I really spent some great years , even if I didn’t stay long”.
Despite an express visit to the Côte Fleurie club, Mamoudou Diallo has forged strong ties with the Divais people, as evidenced by the numerous messages which immediately crossed the globe once the draw rendered its verdict. “Just two minutes after the draw ended, I received messages”smiled the elder of the divided house. “There is Mathis Clément, the coach’s son, who wrote to me, Erwan Koutele too. And there is also Max Verrier, we also spoke to each other on the networks”. The Coupe de France meeting which is coming up at the Heurtematte stadium will therefore be an opportunity for Mamoudou Diallo to enjoy a joyful reunion. In particular, he will have the opportunity to come face to face with the man who was his coach for a few months: Philippe Clément. “At the time, it was Philippe who came to me”continues the Saint-Denis player. “And it worked very well between him and me. Philippe was my coach, but today, he’s a friend. We’ve become good friends”.
A reunion and a qualification at stake
In addition to returning to the SUDC for a match, it is a return to the region of his childhood that awaits Mamoudou Diallo. “I am a Norman!”he still proclaims today with a smile. Having passed through the training centers of SM Caen and Le Havre AC, the one who is having fun today in Regional 1 of Reunion has also worn the colors of CS Honfleur, AS Trouville-Deauville and AS Villers -Houlgate. The 39-year-old’s experience is substantial and his knowledge of both Normandy football and Reunion football leads him to say that Aurélien Thoris and his partners will have to play their best football if they want to overcome the obstacle and invite themselves in 1/16e of final. “In the Reunion championship, there are 12 teams and of these 12 teams, the first four or five could play in National 3, football is played here”assures the attacker. “Without disrespect to the Tahitians (the AS Dragon that Dives eliminated in the previous round)we have nothing to do with them. I heard that tactically, the Reunion teams weren’t really that good. They will see on Saturday!”
The opposition in style, with an endearing attacker as a common denominator, promises to spark. If Mamoudou Diallo is happy in the colors of Saint-Denis after having notably played for JS Saint-Pierroise and USS Tamponnaise, there is something specific to Dives-Cabourg that he did not find in the ocean Indian: the famous unifying, inimitable talks by Philippe Clément. “What I really liked at Dives was Philippe’s speeches before the matches. It’s really something that left an impression on me and I think it marks a lot of players too. His speech transcends the players before playing a match. It’s really something.”. Generally speaking, it is the entire club entourage of which the player keeps precious memories. “It remains a family and the Divaise family is a big family. There, I was appreciated, and when I feel appreciated in a club, I also give back, when I feel the confidence that they give it to me, I give it back directly”. However, for the space of one match on Saturday, there will no longer be any lasting friendship. When the final whistle blows, however, there will inevitably be something to celebrate: the first 1/16e of the SUDC French Cup final or the qualification of a former player who remains very popular despite the distance.
> French Cup. 1/32e final – SU Dives-Cabourg (N3) / Saint-Denis FC (R1 Réunion), Saturday December 21 at 3:30 p.m. at the Heurtematte Stadium.
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