Gueugnon, in memory of the Blacksmiths

Saturday November 16, Gueugnon, Jean-Laville stadium, 6 p.m.: 7^e Tour of the Coupe de France, Gueugnon-Sochaux. The match poster is a burst of autumn nostalgia. In the past, it was a meeting between elite professional clubs. Formerly? It was yesterday. So close. We invite ourselves into the news of the 1990s with Sochaux, the club supported from its birth by the Peugeot group, and Gueugnon, that of amateurs who reached the summit with the help of the forges of the commune of Saône-et-Loire. A large automobile group on the one hand, the world capital of stainless steel on the other. The Coupe de France offers the emotional sequence because the fate of the two says a lot.

A history of football

We don’t repeat history, but we can tell it. From sporting adventures to industrial setbacks, Sochaux and Peugeot ended up divorcing and the Doubist club, dean of professional football since 1932, almost disappeared in 2023. It survives in National.

In Gueugnon, the daily newspaper is pinned to the National 3 calendar, the 5^e national level. The “Forgerons” are trailing at the end of the rankings in the Burgundy – Franche-Comté group. The squad is made up of federal contracts and a few amateurs, a swarm of players from all over France. Forgotten homemade products. They have only one objective: to maintain next spring, Gueugnon is already in the red zone. “In these conditions, we are not too keen on the Coupe de France,” recognizes Christophe Noluveau, general director of the club. But a Gueugnon-Sochaux poster still speaks for itself. We see that it stirs up memories. »

A single season in Ligue 1

The Jean-Laville municipal stadium will regain a bit of… voice. When the club moved up to Ligue 1 in 1995 – where it only spent one season – the city and the club thought big: 15,000 seats, covered stands. Five years later, the Burgundians achieved the feat of winning the Coupe de la Ligue, a competition reserved for professionals, by dominating Paris SG in the final (2-0) at the Stade de France. At the zenith. The century could end, the FCG was in the legend.

On November 16, will there be a few thousand in Jean-Laville? “We can hope so,” insists the general director. In the championship we have an average of 700 spectators, which is already not bad in N3. » But it sounds empty in such a vast enclosure. Paradoxically, Jean-Laville is once again hosting Ligue 2 matches this fall: those of Martigues, which does not have a stadium that complies with the regulations. The Provençaux play “at home” 450 km from home. A rental of the municipal stadium which brings in a little for the city and the Burgundian club. Poor recipe…

It’s by practice that you become a blacksmith

Gueugnon and its 7,000 inhabitants have not given up on seeing their “Blacksmiths” one day return to the professional world, but the passion died down when the club collapsed after 38 seasons in Ligue 2. In 2008, FCG is relegated to National. Three years later, from trouble to trouble (1), the club filed for bankruptcy. The FFF drafted him at the last minute in the Division of Honor, the highest regional level. Since then, he has been sailing between the N3 and the N2. “We do what we can. We are focusing on training young people,” says Christophe Noluveau. A long way. The exploits of the Blacksmiths are a thing of the past. With its budget of around 1 million euros (“That puts us in the first half of N3”), Gueugnon adapts. It is also a symbol of resilience, like the industrial culture of the Burgundian commune. The local forges were a source of pride and the football club, created in 1940, which they also supported. “At the time, 3,000 people worked there,” recalls the club’s general director. The forges were swallowed up by the ArcelorMittal group, today called Aperam. He is content with the role of modest partner. After various social plans, “there are 700 workers left today,” says the general director. The “footballers” are not part of it, the page is turned.

How can we forget today the image of the “working-class footballers” who lifted the club into division 2 in the 1970s, then repeated the exploits in the Coupe de France? The federation even refused them accession to the elite after they won the division 2 title in 1979 on the grounds that the FCG was still… amateur. The trajectory of the Burgundian team, turned pro, tells of a gradual evolution of football ultimately downgraded by sport business. “The notoriety of the club still remains attractive to bring in guys. But on our scale, we must remain modest. » Gueugnon does not dream but his heralds of the great years are still working with the club. The “elders” are called Jean-Claude Berthommier, Richard Trivino or Philippe Correia. The first two are leaders on the steering committee. The third is the coach. The black and white team photos and smiles on colored paper speak of a heritage displayed on the walls of the headquarters offices. So, just for one evening, Gueugnon-Sochaux shows it off well.

(1) Tony Vairelles, former international for Lens and Lyon, bought the club, relegated to the National, with his father and brothers. He was a player, manager and shareholder. After three years, the affair ended with a bankruptcy filing.