This Tuesday, April 19 at 8:30 p.m., a very special meeting awaits the Gym in the semi-final of the Coupe de France. Facing LOSC, the leader of the Ligue 1 championship, Les Aiglons are just one step away from the final. This would be the first since the 1996/1997 season, when they won the final against Guingamp on penalties.
In a Stade du Ray packed to the brim (17,615 tickets sold), OGC Nice expects a tough match against the formidable Lille side, both epic and historic for the club and its supporters.
On May 10, 1997, Fréderic Gioria, captain of OGC Nice and native of the “region,” lifted the glorious Coupe de France after a fierce battle against the Bretons of En Avant Guingamp.
For the third time in its history, the red and black club won this prestigious competition against all odds. Already relegated to the second division a few weeks prior, the players under president Boïs, despite the unfavorable odds, had the support of all or part of the national press for the Guingamp team playing their first final at Parc des Princes.
However, the French penchant for rallying behind an underdog in a sporting encounter was neither prepared nor cooked up… Later, Frédéric Antonetti, OGCN coach from 2005 to 2009, would have this discreet but revealing sentence about a sentiment shared by Nice’s supporters: “Nice, like Bastia, is too far from Paris to really see what’s going on there… It’s hard to change mentalities that last…”
Far from being paranoid, fans of all ages and ranks have eventually grown up with this reality, which for them, forged a warrior’s mentality, constantly seeking exploits to show that Nice is very much alive but above all proud of its colors.
The day after this legendary victory, it was customary for TF1 to invite the winners to the Téléfoot show. A nice slap in the face for those who had crafted more than half of the reports for the Bretons who could only win… Ultimately, it was Nice that added its name to the 79th edition thanks to its guts and courage.
A match for an entire people
Fourteen years later and only a few misunderstandings in the Coupe de la Ligue (final defeat in 2006 against Nancy and in the semi-final against Vannes for the 2008-2009 season), the club for all the people of Nice is giving another rendezvous with one of those dates marked in bold in their 107-year-old golden book…
A semi-final against Lille, the leader of the L1 championship in a Stade du Ray close to a volcano (17,615 spectators expected and a record attendance since a certain Nice-Strasbourg in 1990, a playoff match), the evening promises an electric atmosphere.
And to top it all off, Lille and Nice supporters, long-time friends, are already starting to commune and celebrate together what will be a moment not to be missed in the life of a passionate fan in red and black.
In the streets, villages, discussion forums, by email or SMS, old and young alike, the many tifosi are already savoring the air of this semi-final. For Philippe, a longtime Gym enthusiast, “we enjoy every moment. Everything is possible. These moments are too rare not to immerse ourselves in them a good week in advance. The match against Monaco was a first step in this crazy week ahead of us.”
Confidence has its virtues, but some still remember the sad elimination against Vannes in the Coupe de la Ligue two years ago. Eric, a long-time subscriber to the popular stands, prefers to remain cautious but is already brimming with impatience: “I believe the Gym, in major events, has never fared better than when it wears the underdog tag. Being the favorite cost us two finals against Nancy and a semi-final against Vannes… In the end, it’s not so bad to meet the leader… and then to revisit the Stade de France and why not Europe, it makes us all dream. If we win, many of us will go light a candle at Laghet like in 1997.”
A palpable, real passion that will be expressed in the open for perhaps another grand evening at the old Stadion du Ray, which could experience one of its last beautiful nights before bidding farewell in 2013. Alea Jacta Est.
ISSA NISSA
