No one knows what verdict will be given in the round of 16 between FC Olympique Strasbourg Koenigshoffen 06 (FCOSK06) (R1) at SCO Angers (L1) on Saturday evening (8:45 p.m.) but the “small” Strasbourg neighborhood club, winner of Clermont in the previous round (0-0, 4-3 on penalties), has already apparently won the bet of a good crowd at the Meinau stadium, whose capacity is 25,000 seats.
“Tuesday evening, we were at 12,000 tickets sold, says Aziz Soylu, co-president of FCOSK06. We received a new delivery of 4000 to 5000 tickets this Wednesday morning. Initially, we were planning on selling 18,000 seats, but we are now thinking about opening the last two stands, south and south-east. “And therefore to try to fill up or not far.
“It was our responsibility to take the measure of the popular celebration around this match, explains Mourad Oualit, co-president of FCOSK. But concerning the option of playing at La Meinau, there was no question of putting the association (€375,000 annual budget) out of whack. We agreed to play at La Meinau on the condition that the Eurometropolis makes the stadium available to us without compensation, that the CEA (European Community of Alsace) accompanies us and the Grand-Est Region as well. They were very responsive and all responded positively. »
There remained one last important condition to satisfy, however… “The last key element was the position of the SCO of Angers and the willingness of Mr. Chabane to give us his share of the recipe (50%), continues Oualit. . We called them and we presented them with the two options: the Emile-Stahl stadium (2,400 seats, stadium where the FCOSK eliminated Clermont on January 7) or the Meinau. Will you leave your share of the recipe? It is understood that your answer will influence our decision. If you take your part, we play Emile-Stahl and we put all our chances on our side. If you leave it to us, we prioritize the economic interest. In case of elimination, it has an interest for the club. In the minute, they told us that it was tradition for him to leave the recipe to the amateur club. »
Also, the Black and Gold will welcome the Angevins on the lawn of RC Strasbourg, where the SCO precisely eliminated Racing in the previous round (1-1, 5-4 on penalties).
The resourcefulness to bring back the tickets from Paris
But playing at Meinau is not settled in a snap. “All the organizational costs are at our expense: ticket office, security, hostesses, stewards, rescue, civil protection, continues Oualit. Until the covering of the lawn from Tuesday evening, negative temperatures being announced, mowing, tracing, etc. The bill is around €170,000. The Eurometropolis making the stadium available to us, remains €110,000. Each position is the subject of a negotiation, we had to work to lower the bill. »
And also manage the ticket office. With no time to set up an online system, the leaders resorted to outlets at various department stores in the area and at club headquarters. “We made a single price of €10, unanimously welcomed, specifies Oualit. All our communication is built around the “people’s game”. We wanted to offer this to all young people who are not used to going to La Meinau, because they are not particularly Racing fans or because they cannot afford it. »
Some 550 volunteers and young members of the club in the Koenigshoffen district also received a free ticket. In practice, the presidents acted methodically, proceeding by successive purchases. “We started with the north stand, about 5,000 seats in the length of the stadium, opposite the benches, explains Soylu. We always start by filling in that one, it’s the one the camera shows first. Then, as the sale progressed, we continued through the northern quarter turn, and so on. »
Oualit and Soylu, the co-presidents in their forties, respectively a train driver and owner of a transport company, have shown inventiveness. “I have a brother-in-law in Paris whom I sent twice to get a box of tickets from the headquarters of the FFF, testifies Soylu. He brought them to the Gare de l’Est, entrusted to SNCF controllers who repatriated them to Mourad (Oualit) at Strasbourg station. “In theory, each ticket sold beyond 11,000 units will increase the finances of FCOSK06, which is applying for the National 3.
