Who knows how to place the Val de Sambre on a map? Stuck against the Belgian border, to the east of Valenciennois, the territory's main football feat is the US Maubeuge and its appearance at the third national level in the 1980s. However, each year, a good part of its inhabitants vibrate to the rhythm of the Entente Feignies-Aulnoye, which brings out the blonde locks at CR7 prime when it comes to playing the Coupe de France.
The magic of the Cup is that there is no miracle recipe. We can't control everything, but in these matches, you have to be at 200%.
To the point of talking about a favorite competition for this National 2 club which has been stacking up beautiful courses for four seasons. PSG, Quevilly-Rouen, Montpellier and Lyon this year, the Entente has become accustomed to the great thrills of Dame Coupe, capable of battling on the difficult terrains of hierarchically inferior clubs and of stringing together the rounds to offer themselves a big Ligue 1 before or after the end-of-year holidays and thus shed a little light on a small corner of France which is just asking for that. So much so that the club recently stood out by marketing its Coupe de France version jerseys, with profits going directly into the club's coffers. A great first for amateurs.
Among those who wrote this beautiful story, there is Thomas De Parmentier, well known for having made Marco Verratti waltz on the Hainaut meadow one evening in December 2021, but above all for having allowed the Entente to reach the 16es in January by scoring an anthology shooting center that the Puskás Prize jury had to skip.
“It’s true that every season, we are rather spoiled”says the thirty-year-old. For him, the Coupe de France does not end in October or November, but at the moment when the TV cameras come to capture his angelic face and his sharp right paw. Since in addition to collecting beautiful courses with the Entente, the Northerner also has some exploits with the Iris Club de Croix, on the outskirts of Lille. In 2019, while the club was playing in N2, the adventure ended in the round of 16 against Dijon (3-0). “I had run the scenario around ten times in my head. And for once, even though we were facing a Ligue 1 team, I was convinced that we could do it, then we received a red and a penalty after three minutes. So if I have any advice, it’s to avoid doing that! (Laughs.) »
The Coupe de France, common ground
He doesn't really have the instructions for performing in the Coupe de France, but he can already make a few statements. “The Cup is above all a state of mind. If you are not present in the duels, in the commitment and in this desire to fight until the end, and we had proof of this during the last round where we scored at the very last second against Lucciana ( N3), it’s obviously complicated. The magic of the Cup is that there is no miracle recipe. We can't control everything, but in these matches, you have to be at 200%. »Indeed: before thinking about treating yourself to a big one, you must logically enforce your status during the previous seven or eight rounds. Which adds a mental aspect that should not be overlooked. “When you play a smaller player, you have to force yourself to be determined and concentrated or when you play a bigger player, mentally you know that you are going to suffer and that you have to hang on. I have recently reviewed my action on Verratti. What's crazy is that afterwards I immediately put myself back in the block. We are so focused that we don't even enjoy the moment enough! »
The championship is for the club, and the Cup is for the players.
A state of mind that never wavers, no matter the team you have in front of you. “We can go and play in the depths of France against the weakest team in Europe, we will take this team as seriously as possible” says Yann Kouadio, colossus of the Sambrian central hinge and hero of the last round by scoring at the very last second. “We approach all matches with the same seriousness. There is no small match in fact. In our unconscious, there is never any superiority. This is a requirement that the staff and locker room managers put in place to go as far as possible. Because here, racing in the Coupe de France is something that is close to our hearts. »
It's never Feignies
At the same time, when we taste the fervor of a full stadium or an exploit against a larger engine, we inevitably often want to go back. Fortunately, this is commonplace here. “We really do everything to please those who encourage us. When we go far in the Coupe de France, we know that it benefits an entire region, an entire department. »But it's not just to treat yourself to beautiful postcards or to replenish the coffers that Feignies-Aulnoye loves this competition so much. Here, it serves above all to build the team's mentality. “We usually say that the Coupe de France is the players’ competition retorts Jean Antunes, sports director and former co-coach of the Entente club, but also of Croix. The championship is for the club, and the Cup is for the players. When I see former players, they always remind me of the Coupe de France moments, never the championship, because they are unforgettable moments. » Saturday, when the three whistles blow, no matter what happened before, it “unforgettable moment”will have already been consumed. Whether the clique of Lacazette and Cherki respected the hierarchy or not at the Hainaut stadium, once again, Christmas will have fallen a little earlier than elsewhere in the Sambre.
Lyon supporters deprived of the Coupe de France
