Jérémy Pied: “In D5, I rediscovered what makes the magic of football” – France – OGC Nice

What is it like to go from Ligue 1 to D5?

It's refreshing. I rediscovered what makes the magic of football, far from the increasingly exploited professional world with lots of money. In D5, we return to simple values. No more problems. When you enter the field, there are not millions of euros at stake or qualification for the Champions League to be sought. It's just pleasure and you can feel it. Then, in D5, we can really talk about amateur football because even at the regional level, there is aggressiveness, there is a lot at stake. There, when you make a mistake, you can even tell the referee that you made a mistake.

Is that the biggest favorite?

Yes. And then for us, the story is beautiful because it started from nothing. At the end of summer, I came across David Soubieux, the team manager from the Gym training center. The club left him the keys to create a new “reserve” team to allow him to keep the association number and keep the women’s team and youth teams. David took this to heart. He started looking for players and therefore asked me to join the team. My conditions were simple: that there be no restrictions. We have one training session and one match per week. If I can't come, I don't come. David told me OK, and in the end, I'm still coming. (Laughs.)

How did it go at the beginning?

We did a first training session during which we discovered each other. There were stewards, staff members, club employees. We tried to increase the intensity, do what we could without really knowing where we were going. It started with a 7 on 7 with only one goalie. And for the first match, there were to be 14 of us, but we had to do without a player who didn't have his license, a player who was injured during the match and another who had to leave at half-time. For the second, there were only 11 of us with one week of training. We won 2-1, but we exploded physically. At the club, things were pretty chaotic…

You quickly tasted the folklore of amateur football…

It's true. Against Fontonne, the match started half an hour late because the tablet to enter the match sheet did not work. It must have been done by hand. The referee wanted to make an entrance like in the Champions League when we didn't care. (Laughs.) The lights ended up going out in the middle of the match due to the timer and we had to wait for the end of another match on the next field to be able to finish ours.

Were there any other gems like this?

For the match against Castel, Mickaël Bucher (another former pro, Editor’s note) tells us in the WhatsApp group that he has a problem with his motorbike, that he will be late. Finally, he arrived at the last moment and started on the bench. When he entered the second, he made us win with a left-footed volley into the top corner. That's football.

That and the snacks after the matches?

Yeah. Against Tourrette-Levens, we organized that. We had to have the drinks, they had to have the pizzas. Sometimes it's the other way around. In Castel, the same, we shared the meal. We even shared the showers with another team. I ran into a guy in the shower, he said to me: « But are you Jérémy Pied? » Well yeah. It was funny. And when you get interested in them, they're like crazy.

Are there still small traces of the professional world?

Yes. For example, we worked on set pieces in training to turn them into a weapon. In the first match, I shot a lot and well, but no one touched the ball. From where I was, I found that the others weren't attacking the ball enough. We worked on the timing and placement in training. The following weekend, cross, header, goal. Twice. Victory. Then repeat the next match. Like pros.

How do your opponents see you?

Honestly, most young people aren't impressed. Some people say that we are old, that we won't have much to do and that we have guys with us who for some have never played too much. But it's the opposite. Our golden rule is to have fun, of course, but to give it your all and never give up. Moreover, several players really have qualities and could play well above.

But the Gym supporters you face must be hallucinating, right?

Some are very young. I think their coach tells them who we are before the game. Otherwise, when it's the oldest, yes, we are recognized. Tuesday, in a friendly, at one point, a guy fell, I picked him up and apologized. He said to me, laughing: « No but it's an honor » !

How many former pros are there on the team?

There is Romain Genevois who runs the house behind, Franck Dja Djédjé in front and Johan Audel, Mickaël Bucher and me to control the environment.

Apart from the former pros, what is the level like?

Frankly, there are good players. Valentin, one of the physiotherapists, is very strong. He comes from a small village and quickly gave up football, but for me, he's someone who wouldn't be ridiculous training with professional teams. There are three or four really interesting ones.

Is everyone training diligently?

Yes, really. Well, lately, no one wanted to come on a Tuesday evening because there was Champions League (laughs), but the coach was smart, he took advantage of this Tuesday evening to put lots of new players to the test. This made it possible to strengthen the team with a defender, a midfielder and an attacker. Now, instead of being between 11 and 14 like at the beginning, we are between 15 and 18. That changes everything.

Do people come to see you play?

Some friends, some guys from the staff come to give voice. There, we say to ourselves that with the series of good matches, it could come. But hey, on Thursday evening at 8:15 p.m. at Francs Archers, it’s complicated…

Do you play during the week because the guys on the staff can't on the weekend?

Yes, that's it. We do everything to adapt to the physiotherapists, to the stewards who have the matches with the pros. For the moment, that does not pose a problem for the opponents. In any case, at this level, the teams are in a very close radius around Nice.

And the Gym players, did they come to see you when they weren't playing during the week?

Yes. Against Fontonne, I turned my head and saw Pablo Rosario, Melvin Bard, Gaëtan Laborde and company at the edge of the field. I said to myself: « What the hell are they doing there? » (Laughs.) That's what I love about this club, there's crazy cohesion.

What is the objective of the season?

Obviously, as a competitor, I would say the climb. But already, soon, we are going to play a D1 team in the Coupe d'Azur. For the managers, it's a bit like if you were playing PSG.

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