Disappointment is on everyone’s faces, but the president of the Gym wants to turn the page. OGCN must use this disillusionment to progress and continue moving forward.
President, this lost final will remain a terrible disappointment in the hearts of the people of Nice…
Not just in the hearts of the people of Nice. In the hearts of the entire club, all the fans. For everyone who believed in the team, it’s a huge disappointment. Our players did not show up for this event: we must not close our eyes or blind ourselves.
It happens in all professions worldwide, but unfortunately for us, it happened at the worst possible moment. That said, I am a positive person, and we must move forward! We will try to analyze with the technical staff the reasons for this defeat, debrief this event. We will continue to work to come back even stronger and experience a Cup final again in the coming years. We have the hope to build. This final allows us to grow, even in defeat.
Financially, what does this lost final represent?
Let’s say we could have had a big plus in the budget. But we were not counting on this to balance our budget, rest assured. We were cautious, aiming for a 17th place finish and elimination in the first round of both cups. Our run in the League Cup brought a little extra to the budget, it could have been a big plus in case of victory, but it’s not essential. The small nest egg gathered will provide a little extra for the recruitment envelope.
Does this defeat hinder the club’s ambitions?
It does not change the three-year strategy we have set ourselves. Neither in terms of recruitment nor anything else. We still aim to improve the squad each offseason to be among the top eight teams in France within three years.
Despite everything, the first year of this new cycle will remain positive. We didn’t manage to get the cherry on the cake, but we still had a good run. I hope we will comfort everyone by negotiating our last three matches well. I will talk to the players to explain that we expect a reaction from them, to end the season on a positive note. Taking 7 points out of 9 would be very satisfying.
An objective in the standings?
It’s hard to set a position because, apart from right at the top and bottom, the league is very tight. We’re not going to start calculating what the clubs ahead of us can do. As I told you, if we take seven points out of nine to finish this Championship, I would be very satisfied. That we play the three matches full-on, with quality.
You say this doesn’t change anything in terms of recruitment. Nevertheless, wasn’t the prospect of playing in Europe interesting to retain and recruit major players?
It’s possible. Some of our players might be approached by clubs playing in Europe, and it’s true that at that level, it’s a disadvantage. Nonetheless, rest assured: our key players are under contract, and if some have to leave, the club will not be at a loss. We are not in a position of weakness, and a high price must be paid to find an equivalent.
In terms of the squad, we have just finalized the arrival of Bellion for 4 years, and we have a principle agreement with Ederson for the same duration. These are two talented, young players with great potential for improvement. For the next season, in agreement with Frédéric Antonetti, we plan to recruit between 3 and 5 players who will bring an added value.
So, to return to your question, of course, we would have preferred to play in Europe, but when I see Strasbourg’s journey, which won the League Cup last year and is now relegated to the second division, I think today that it may have been a blessing in disguise. Playing every 3 days for a club like ours is not necessarily easy. You need a much denser squad, and given our means, we would likely have lost quality in the end. The UEFA Cup is an interesting competition to play, but financially, it doesn’t bring in much.