On the banks of the Marne in Champigny, the handful of football fields in Parc de Tremblay resemble a giant anthill, Friday October 11, around 6:30 p.m. Groups of friends, kids coming with their dads or with a personalized educator, clubs… On the four synthetic lawns, the sound of slammed passes took precedence over that of the traffic jams which, as they often do, have invaded the Nogent bridge. For the senior team of FC Moldova, the time has come for the final rehearsal. This Sunday at 2:30 p.m., Ion Girnu’s players will play a match like no other against Mée Sports. More than a remake of David against Goliath between two teams separated by five divisions, this will be the very first fifth round of the Coupe de France in the young history of FC Moldova.
At the time of creation in 2021, I never imagined it would look like this.
“Of course it’s going to be great to experienceenthuses the player Gheorghe Munteanu, as he leaves the locker room towards today’s session. Between us, it’s even a challenge. We say why not, there is something to look for. » In his navy blue tracksuit emblazoned with the selection logo that the club has adopted to make it its own, even from the top of his tightly packed 38 broomsticks, Ivan Cebanu stamps his feet with impatience. If a rupture of the cruciate ligaments and a well-established belly will not allow him to don the famous jerseys of the Coupe de France, the president of FC Moldova is like a kid at the idea of living the moment. « I know myself: Sunday, I’m going to get up at 4 a.m. and I won’t be able to sleep. I will imagine all the possible scenarioshe exclaims. If I’m happy with what the club has become? It’s an understatement to say it. I’m super happy. At the time of creation in 2021, I never imagined it would look like this. »
All Moldovans, or almost
« Initially, we were a small group of friends from Moldova or of Moldovan origin who got together like that on the weekend to play. Then, we were 15-20. I said to myself, why not create a club for the community?continues Ivan Cebanu proudly. Until the birth of FC Moldova. I created the association, whose headquarters are at home in Sucy-en-Brie. We first did the Sunday morning championship and now, the real senior championship. In D4 first, and in D3 this year after the rise of last season. » From 15, FC Moldova players are now around fifty, often at a level higher than D3. With the exception of three Romanians, all are Moldovans or Franco-Moldovans. “We are open to everyone, says Ivan Cebanu. But it’s true that the people from outside who came to try didn’t necessarily come back. »
FC Moldova? Like a second baby or almost, for its president Ivan Cebanu: « Sometimes my wife asks me why I come home and don’t immediately grab a mattress to sleep at the stadium because I spend so much time here. It’s true that it keeps me pretty busy. » Because, to allow FC Moldova to develop, Ivan Cebanu knows, he will have to stretch himself even more. “In the coming years we would like to climb againexplains the one whose role also extends to that of goalkeeping coach. But it doesn’t just depend on us. Today, one of our big problems is having neither premises nor land. Here in Champigny, we rent slots. But it remains a public park, it’s complicated. For example, to be able to play in D2 next year if we were to move up, which is our objective, we will need to have children’s teams between U11 and U18. However, without land, this is impossible. We are well aware that we are reaching the obstacles of bureaucracy, it is now that we will need support and sponsors. »
Followed by the Moldovan press
Welcome, the enchanted parenthesis in the Coupe de France? “This journey should also serve us for that, to make ourselves known. The fact that people are talking about us is positive, I hope that the town hall of Sucy-en-Brie will be receptive and will respond to us soon so that we can have a pitch next season. » It is in any case not for lack of having become stars in the country where, for two rounds, the Moldovan press has been following the exploits of the FCM. « The fact that our journey is reported and recounted is a source of pride. The embassy even came to see us, it’s great »laughs Ivan Cebanu, as if immersed in a waking dream.
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