The Franciscans have returned to their regular routine to prepare for the match against FC Nantes. They won’t soon forget their 2-0 victory over Lormont, a convincing win in the eighth round of the French Cup. The number 2 is bringing good luck to the Martinique champions, who had knocked out Sainte-Geneviève-les-Bois by the same score in the seventh round of the French Cup. Club Franciscain is the first club from Martinique to have eliminated two teams from mainland France in a row in the French Cup.
The Franciscans played a perfect game against Lormont, even though they finished the match with 10 players. The ejection of captain and defensive midfielder Jordy Delem did not derail Franciscan coach Jean-Marc Civault’s plans. He had faith in his players.
And their mental toughness was remarkable as they defeated Lormont, the leader of the Aquitaine League’s Division d’Honneur.
Club Franciscain, which was already the only club from Martinique to have won the DOM-TOM championship three times, has added another achievement to its impressive record. It is the first club from Martinique to have eliminated two consecutive teams from mainland France in the Coupe de France: Sainte-Geneviève des Bois, a CFA 2 club, 2-0, and US Lormont, a Division d’Honneur club in the Aquitaine league, 2-0. Club Franciscain had traveled from Martinique to Lormont via Paris, then Clairefontaine and Bordeaux. About twenty people.
Among them were players and officials who had received free plane tickets from the regional council and the departmental council. Nicolas Zaïre and Yan Thimon’s teammates had trained twice at Clairefontaine, a place very dear to the French national soccer team. They had struggled with difficult weather conditions, including very low temperatures hovering around zero, particularly during a morning jog.
The Franciscans, led by Jordy Delem and Stéphane Abaul, had shown extraordinary courage in braving the cold. They had also enjoyed their day off on Wednesday, December 3, when they were able to go shopping and visit family members and friends living in the Paris suburbs.
The departure for Lormont took place on Thursday, December 4. The delegation traveled by train to Bordeaux, then checked into a hotel on the road to Lormont. A town in southwestern France, less than 10 km from the capital of the Gironde department, Lormont boasts a rich history, including a castle once visited by King Richard II of England in the 1360s, as well as by Eleanor of Aquitaine. The castle, renovated over the years, has become the residence of the archbishops of Bordeaux. The Franciscan players won’t soon forget their trip to Gironde. In addition to the victory that will go down in history, the Lormont team left a lasting impression on them.
A Division d’Honneur team in the Aquitaine League that reflects the working-class neighborhoods of Lormont, where there is a large immigrant population from Africa. The players from Lormont are united, disciplined, and driven by the dream of a professional career. They all dream of wearing the colors of the Girondins de Bordeaux professional soccer team, just like the center backs Cédric Yambèré and Lamine Sané, whom they’ve played alongside.
Notable players who went on to join Bordeaux’s professional team include Christophe Dugarry, a World Cup champion with France in 1998, and another French international, Benoit Trémolinas. Dugarry and Trémolinas, who began their professional careers with Girondins de Bordeaux, were both born in Lormont. Bordeaux is a Ligue 1 soccer club that has signed a partnership agreement with Lormont, an amateur club, to develop players. And the Girondins’ scouting team is monitoring several players from Lormont who compete in the Division d’Honneur.
They won’t get to fulfill their dream: facing a Ligue 1 club in the round of 32 of the Coupe de France and knocking it out of the competition. Club Franciscain had already been there. And Lormont’s dream turned into a nightmare. Luc Edon/Antilla.
