As part of the Coupe de France, a well-established tradition dictates that higher-level clubs transfer match revenues to less posh teams. However, FC Nantes stood out by departing from this practice for two years.
Last December 21, during a match against Drancy, the president of Nantes, Waldemar Kita, chose to recover the 13,000 euros which could have benefited the Drancy club. This decision sparked strong criticism regarding its impact on the image of the Nantes club.
Toufik Belkhous, a notable figure in District 93, expressed his dissatisfaction with Kita. According to him, this gesture harms the image of FC Nantes and that of educators, betraying the spirit of the Coupe de France, supposed to be a moment of unity.
He declared: “Through this lack of respect, it discredits and kills the image of the club and the educators. Whereas the magic of the Cup is the meeting, the meeting of everyone, of all levels. It’s a moment of coming together, and that’s what he apparently can’t understand.”
Belkhous continued by highlighting the consequences of this decision on the necessary rapprochement between the amateur world and the professional world. According to him, Kita does not sufficiently recognize the contributions of amateur clubs.
He added: “It pushes apart two worlds that need to come together. Kita said “we are not cash cows” of course, but there is no recognition of the amateur world and what we bring to the professional world. That’s it, that’s all.”
France
