Stade Lavallois qualified on Friday December 20 for the round of 16 of the Coupe de France. Laval (L2) won on penalties on the “lawn” of Mérignac (R1), where the local rugby club normally plays.
For: the charm of the cut
“It won’t be a pancake. » Clément Tapy, the Mérignac coach, had warned, without being happy about it. The lawn was actually more like shepherd's pie. It was old-fashioned football, before most of the fields offered to the pros were billiards. But until the 90s, the best sometimes played in quagmires, which today a player of 4 would be offended by.e District division.
On this stadium dedicated to rugby, values other than technicality prevailed. Once in a while, it doesn't hurt. There were also no injuries. The values were leveled, and undoubtedly helped Mérignac a little more to believe in the feat, to go all the way to the penalty shootout. This contributes to the charm and legend of the old lady that is the Coupe de France, like this locker room at the Robert-Brettes stadium transformed into a press conference room. On Friday, football returned to its roots…
Against: “You travel twelve hours by bus to come and play on a rugby field”
Olivier Frapolli rightly complained about the playing conditions. “We put the physical integrity of the players at risk”said the Laval coach. For the beautiful game, it was also necessary to pass again, with passes and checks made more than delicate. “Even for running, it was sometimes complicated,” admitted Titouan Thomas, the Mayenne midfielder. “I didn’t enjoy it”summed up his trainer. However, during his playing career, he has already played on similar pitches. “But football has evolved, hasn’t it? There, you travel twelve hours by bus to come and play on a rugby field. »
Olivier Frapolli above all pointed out a specific point on which the FFF should work. “It’s not a problem that Mérignac receives. But at some point, to approve a stadium, we must not only take into account lighting and safety standards. The playing area must also be a criterion. There must have been other stadiums in Bordeaux? »
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