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An ambitious project, a desire to create a unique economic model, no, these are not the Girondins of Gérard Lopez we are talking about, but the Roche Vendée. The club currently 14th in Group B of National 2 welcomes Bruno Irlès' players this Saturday, for a match unfortunately not broadcast. Its president Christophe Chabot takes stock after a complicated start to the season on a sporting level. Last year the club missed the promotion to the National by a goal against Paris 13 Atletico.
First of all, can you confirm to us that there was no agreement regarding the broadcast of the match?
Yes, I would say unfortunately, there was none. This is not at all to sanction anyone and especially not Bordeaux. It's simply that we made the decision, at the start of the season, not to broadcast any matches at home. We simply make no exception for Bordeaux. We believe that we must treat all teams the same way.
How do you judge your start to the season?
It is relatively catastrophic, compared to what we showed last year. That being said, it is relatively consistent with what we unfortunately predicted because, when you miss the climb for a goal, it's a bit of a double penalty.
First, you get some of your best players stolen. And those who stayed unconsciously suffered a morale blow. The recruits who arrive also arrive with a lot of pressure because precisely, we have to try to do better than the previous year.
And when we get stuck like we do at the start of the season, we're in a spiral that's the opposite of last year. So it's a bad start to the season, perhaps one of the worst in a good 15 years.
“We had a lot of headwinds and all the people who play against us tell us that we have a great team”
Do you think there is still trauma among those who were there last year?
Yes, they are a little bitter. Those who arrived had to make those who had left forget a little, but it was mission impossible and I absolutely don't blame them.
We recruited good players, but who put pressure on themselves from the first matches by saying: we are coming to play the climb with La Roche, because they finished tied last year. And then we got tripped up. That being said, I have no concerns about our abilities to stay in N2. We had a lot of headwinds and everyone who plays against us tells us that we have a great team. And I can say that we have a great team.
You personally, what is your relationship, your history with the Roche Vendée club?
I have always evolved in the world of football. But football at the edge of the field. I was president for the first time on the Vendée coast in Bretignolles-sur-Mer where we had the chance to compete 8 times in 15 years. It was truly fabulous. I was very young, from my 25s to my 40s.
And then, around fifteen years ago, I had friends at the Roche club who asked me to join them. So I have been in this club for 15 years, with an initial period of 5 years as president, then a period as partner only, then new presidents for 5 years.
We can notice a certain football culture in Vendée, is it something very anchored?
It's both something interesting to experience, because indeed, we are, I believe, the department in France with the most National teams (N2, N3). There are 7 of us, maybe 8 from next season. This is explained by the fact that we have a very developed parochial spirit which is accompanied by rather solid industries in the four corners of the department. This means that each medium-sized town in Vendée has a solid partner nearby.
So, it's both exciting to experience, but also, it's what deprives Vendée of an elite club. We are in a very competitive position with each other. And we are setting up a project which aims to do things differently compared to what is done today.
Would you have liked clubs to merge to have a strong Vendée club?
Yes. This is our project. This is our speech. We think that the economic model of the clubs will collapse. You have to say things as they are. Between the difficulties of communities, between the flight of certain player budgets and the general economic tension, we do not believe that the current model will continue.
And so, we have to imagine something that unites the clubs with each other. This already exists in some regions. We must unite with our neighbors who are currently not in favor of this project.
For you, the economic model of French football is running out of steam and are we at a turning point?
Absolutely, I don't see how we are going to be able to hold on with this economic model which is based, both on our departments, both on aid from communities which are running out of steam and then one or two industries per club. Which means that clubs are dependent on the health, but also on the mood of a leader or a group. It's very fragile.
“Eight days apart, welcoming the famous and historic Girondins from Bordeaux and the no less famous today from Brest is a major event for us.”
Is that why you created a SCIC (Cooperative Society of Collective Interest) this summer?
Absolutely, we created something new. It's a project that we want to unite on which, for the moment, we have some headwinds because, precisely, like all new projects, it is a little disturbing.
But above all we have a wave of support currently, since the project wants us to unite in very large numbers. We must attract businesses, individuals, supporters of the club, but above all attract other clubs. Our objective is therefore to associate, in this SCIC, small or medium-sized Vendée clubs to become co-owners of this future club. Today, we already have around 25 clubs who have joined us. We hope for 50 by the end of the season.
To return to sports, you follow the reception of the Girondins de Bordeaux and the Stade Brestois in the Coupe de France. There must be a certain enthusiasm at the end of the year?
Indeed, if someone had told me that a year ago, I would have laughed. Eight days apart, welcoming the famous and historic Girondins from Bordeaux and the no less famous today from Brest is a major event for us.
Especially the opportunity to organize two beautiful parties. We also want to show that, when there are beautiful posters, the Vendéens mobilize. For the moment, reservations for these two events are going very well, although I have the impression that the fact that we are hosting Brest next week means that there is a little less enthusiasm for Bordeaux .
We imagine that there is little chance that Girondin supporters will be authorized to travel?
A priori, based on the meetings we had with the prefecture, Girondin supporters will not be authorized to travel. Even if rumor has it that some will still come.
Nathan Hanini
>> Frédéric Reculeau (La Roche VF): “The Girondins are building an increasingly strong squad”
