The Coupe de France match between Bolbec amateurs and SM Caen will finally be played in Caen (Calvados), this Saturday, November 30, 2024, for security reasons, instead of a small stadium near the amateur club. The popular spirit of the competition takes a hit.
The biggest match in the history of US Bolbec will be relocated even more than expected. Once scheduled for this Saturday, November 30, 2024 at the Lucien Lécuyer stadium in Pavilly (Seine-Maritime), north of Rouen, the match of the 8th round of the Coupe de France between the Seine-Maritime amateurs (Regional 1, or the 6th French division) and SM Caen will finally be played in the stadium of the professionals of Ligue 2, this Saturday at 1:30 p.m. A decision made this Wednesday, November 27, the latest in a laborious organizational saga that is taking a toll on the magic of the competition and its meetings between pros and amateurs, most often in the stadium of the “little ones”.
“We are stunned,” sighs the Upper Normandy coach Locman Cakmak. “We are told that the match cannot be played in Seine-Maritime because of the rivalry between supporters from Caen, Le Havre and Rouen. The authorities fear there will be disturbances outside the stadium. We are paying the price.” Bolbec dreamed of playing in his stadium, which was not approved. A fallback solution had been found in Pavilly.
“Volunteers had mobilized to do everything necessary, with the help of employees from Le Havre AC, who are used to organizing this type of match. The federal specifications are very demanding. We were ready to mobilize security,” the coach continued. More than 300 places had already been taken and the enthusiasm was growing to fill the 1,400 places. The Seine-Maritime prefecture decided otherwise.
To better understand, you need to get a map and observe the proximity between Bolbec and Le Havre, Stade Malherbe’s rival club. The same fear of excesses between the supporters of the two clubs had caused the cancellation of the friendly match between Caen and Le Havre last summer, while the police were mobilized for the Olympic Games.
By bringing the 8th round of the Coupe de France closer to Rouen, the red flag of possible disorder with the Rouen ultras was waved, the same one that had caused restrictions on the movement of Caen supporters during matches in Quevilly-Rouen-Métropole in recent seasons in Ligue 2.
In the circle of Malherbe followers, it is assured that there was no rumor of troublemakers in Pavilly. “We went there in a cool mode. I hadn’t heard anything with Rouen”, even if “some from Le Havre want to catch us. There is a risk”, qualifies a Caen supporter. The professional club has indicated that it is adapting to the decision, without further details.
“We’re going to try to cause them problems and make our fans happy”
Despite this climate, the authorities’ decision raises questions, starting with its timing: “Why not say from the start that the match had to be reversed?” asks Locman Cakmak. And he continues: “We’re organising France-Israel with thousands of police officers and we’re not capable of organising an 8th round of the Coupe de France for 1,400 spectators? During the meetings, we felt that the prefecture didn’t want to mobilise a lot of resources for a small match.”
The coach does not spare the French federation from his wrath: “If it is not possible for Caen to come and play in Seine-Maritime, as we seem to be told, why was Caen in the same pot as us in the draw?” The result of a geographical distribution, even if most of the Haut-Normands were not in this same group for this draw.
The amateur club regrets being left unprepared by authorities that impose a heavy organisation. Bolbec’s disillusionment calls for that of Vire, which, in November 2022, was shocked to learn, 48 hours before the match, that its 8th round against… Caen had been postponed, due to a regulatory imbroglio over a temporary stand.
Bolbec and Caen therefore have three days to organise their match at the Michel d’Ornano stadium. The official inversion exempts Bolbec from the rental costs of the stadium, and the Hauts-Normands are trying to transport as many supporters as possible to Calvados. “At the prefecture, we were told that Caen was not far, that it was easy to get there by car. Bolbec is a working-class town, not everyone has a car and the round trip costs 50 to 60 euros,” the coach tenses.
Five buses, or even more, should make the journey. The club hopes to save the party by allowing volunteers to enjoy an evening in a 20,000-seat stadium, as well as its young members, who could tread the pitch.
In sporting terms, the dream of an exploit has also taken a hit, the technician analyses: “At home, we might have had a way of teasing them, with an audience close to the pitch, a smaller pitch. Here, it will be very difficult. But we will try to cause them problems and make our supporters happy.” In the self-proclaimed cup of “all possibilities”, it was in any case not possible to offer a party to the Bolbécais at home.
