They are slowly becoming the heroes of such a turbulent Olympic season. The U19s shone again on Sunday, far from Marseille but close to the hearts of more and more supporters following their adventures in the Gambardella Cup. A success snatched from Rennes (1-2) in stoppage time which is slowly becoming “minot time”, and here is OM in the semi-final of this U19 French Cup, led by its generation. Sternal-Bakola”, French U17 champions last year.
Caillot: “It would be a great party”
The road to a coronation which has been fleeing the sky and white institution since 1979 will now pass through Reims, winner of Brest this same Sunday (2-1). A semi-final scheduled for the weekend of May 4-5, that is to say on the same date as… Reims-OM in Ligue 1. Enough to give ideas to the Champagne club, whose young people are coached by former central defender Anthony Weber. “There will be a great semi-final to play, hoping that it will be at Delaunehas already slipped the former pro player. It will be a great showcase for the boys and I think they deserve it.“
A wish shared by its president, Jean-Pierre Caillot, in the columns of L’Union, the local press. “We have to see technically what is possible, but if we can do it, it would be a great celebration and a great reward for our kids.“Playing in the Champenois stadium (why not as a curtain-raiser to the L1?), and not at the Raymond-Kopa training center, would offer several advantages to the Stade de Reims: additional ticket revenue, obviously, but also more ease in terms of security, with clearly identified visitor parking, while Olympian supporters could benefit from a single trip to attend both matches.
The “Reims-OM double” suspended from the Europa League route
This “Reims-OM double” could only take place if Jean-Louis Gasset’s men do not play in the semi-finals of the Europa League, scheduled for May 2 and 9. If the pros ever pass the Benfica obstacle in the quarter of C3, they will not be able to play in L1 on Friday 3 nor Saturday 4, and no match takes place on Sunday May 5, sacred by the LFP in commemoration of the tragedy of Furiani.
This would not prevent the Gambardella semi-final from taking place at the Delaune stadium, but would not have the charm of a double confrontation between Champenois and Provençaux. And would force the Olympic fanatics to make two trips to Reims to first support the kids, then the pros. Even if that’s certainly not what scares them…
2024-04-02 06:47:04
#Gambardella #Cup #semifinal #Reims #Delaune #stadium
