The DFCO situation worries amateur football authorities in Côte-d'Or. The new owner, Pierre-Henri Deballon, hires a restructuring within the club, including upcoming layoffs in the administrative sector. The future is also unclear for the women's section and for the training center. “Uncertain future for the DFCO women's team and for the club's employees: a shock for football in Côte-d'Or”, writes the new president of DistrictJérôme Thibert, in a press release sent to the media, Thursday November 7, 2024, announcing “his deep concern and his emotion”.
“The women’s DFCO plays a driving role”
In an interview with our colleagues from EchosPierre-Henri Deballon indicated that he wanted to drastically reduce the payroll of the women's team. “This is the most likely scenario, because I do not want the women's team to stop completely, but it is not excluded,” he clarified. A prospect that moves the football authority in Côte-d'Or. “A stoppage of this team would represent a real cataclysm for departmental women's football and would leave a considerable void in the sporting landscape of our region,” can we read in this press release.
“The women's DFCO has long been a leading figure for the development of women's football in Côte-d'Or. Its existence not only inspires young players, who dream of reaching the highest level, but it also constitutes a vector of commitment and passion for hundreds of volunteers, who work tirelessly to offer girls and young women the opportunity to live their passion. The women's DFCO plays a driving role, motivating local clubs to become more involved in the sport. promotion and structuring of women's football”continues Jérôme Thibert, the president, on behalf of the body.
The District fears negative consequences in the future, while the players are still less numerous than the players – around a thousand out of the 16,000 licensed in the department. “The cessation of the DFCO women's team, a symbol of success and ambition, would be a hard blow for the entire sector and would jeopardize many efforts undertaken to encourage the feminization of this sport”he indicates in his text. “We are calling for a general mobilization of football players, public and private partners, and all sports lovers to preserve this emblem of women’s football in Côte-d’Or”.
