The risk of a fall, which only happens to others, gradually gives way to the contours of a reality. Montpellier became aware after the defeat at La Mosson in front of Angers, Sunday January 12, in the match of fear, that relegation was on the horizon. And that the surge of the final three seasons was not an automatic reflex, nor the guarantee of a new rescue, sixteen years after its comeback.
« We took a big blow to the head. We have to face reality. The mission was very difficult, today it’s mission impossible », Confided coach Jean-Louis Gasset, bruised by this failure and disillusioned a few minutes after the match.
Three days later, before receiving Monaco on Friday January 17 at the Mosson stadium, the son of the friend of Louis Nicollin, former and emblematic president who died in 2017, measures the consequences of a possible descent but does not want to abdicate.
« There is half a championship left. We don’t have the right to give up when we’re at risk for the future of a lot of people. I must lead this revolt », Says the Montpellier coach.
This is a serious time. Louis-Nicollin stadium project, social impact and random sporting fate: Montpellier becomes frightened by the dizziness of a descent into Ligue 2. And Jean-Louis Gasset relies on this awareness to awaken his workforce and in particular the executives, often singled out.
« I’m trying to find words for the suffering of our families, our supporters and many people around the club who may lose their jobs. There is suffering around us. And it’s hard all the time to only think about that, to have your stomach in knots, but until the end, we will fight », explains the Montpellier coach, affected by the downgrading of his training club.
Financial and structural crisis
Its players are not only playing for their survival, but also for the maintenance of certain jobs, probably threatened in the event of relegation.
-The fall in Ligue 2 is not necessarily temporary. The last time (2004), just like the first (1982), Montpellier took five years before returning to the highest level. And get back on track after a course of humility and modesty.
In 1982, the recipe for renewal came from the creation of a training center, particularly fruitful with the emergence of a golden generation around Laurent Blanc, Pascal Baills, the Passi brothers…
Today, like Paris SG or Lyon, the richest clubs have a training center, often very efficient, and compete with clubs like Montpellier, with a limited budget and often indexed to TV rights. Precisely, the TV rights contract, renegotiated in confusion in July with DAZN, was revised significantly downwards. “ When I have to deal with 7 million euros instead of 19.5 millions budgeted, it gave me a shock », confided Laurent Nicollin at the dawn of the season.
After a summer, with a sluggish market, Montpellier was unable to balance its budget. And, to pass before the financial policeman of the DNCG in December, Olivier Nicollin, boss of the eponymous company and brother of the Montpellier president, acted as guarantor to complete the season and pay off any debts in the spring.
For now, Laurent Nicollin deplores that the new stadium has not seen the light of day to cope with its deficit. According to him, this would have allowed him to respond to the reduction in TV rights. And therefore to cross this air gap without impact on the performance of his team.
Montpellier is not only going through a sporting crisis, but a financial and structural crisis, at a time when French football must review its economic model.
In global football, open to investment funds or rich Middle Eastern states, historic French clubs like Nantes, Lens or Auxerre… have been forced to call on new owners, more or less enlightened, to hold on to the lead car. In Montpellier, could this encourage the Nicollin group to question its presence at the head of the MHSC?
