The last semi-final of the Coupe de France at the home of the Greens, who face Rennes this Thursday for a place in the final, dates back to 1993. At the time, the players of Jacques Santini were bowed (0-1) to the proteges of Jean-Claude Suaudeau. Back on this match in three acts.
Jean-Mimi pulls out the muscles
Sunday June 6, 1993. Three days earlier, Bernard Tapie and his Marseille European champions were received with great fanfare at the Élysée by François Mitterrand. The welcome given to his Stéphane counterpart André Laurent live in Téléfoot is less warm. Five hours before the semi-final of the Coupe de France against Nantes, the journalist Pascal Praud, in the cages of Geoffroy-Guichard, the entry attack on his pristine record. President reminds him that he took ten years earlier “A club which was in the grave, which was in agony”.
The following resembles a muscular indictment pointing to the absence on the European scene and the instability of the staffs and the workforce. It is signed Jean-Michel Larqué, that the rumor has already propelled general manager of ASSE. Jean-Claude Dassier, boss of TF1 sports, then talks about his “Lack of elegance. If journalists start using their TV or radio to do their small business, it’s not okay ”. “Larque handed me an ambush to twist my neck live”, accused Laurent in L’Équipe in 2004.
Ouédec brings out the Greens
After having seen their Greens eliminate the Marseille European champion in quarters (2-1 a.p.) and then Nantes to be thrashed in Metz (0-4) four days before the half, the fans of Saint-Etienne are confident. “People, considering that we took 3 points out of 4 in Nantes in the Championship, believe that we will pass”, notes Stéphanois Christophe Deguerville. With the whole team of Jacques Santini, he saw Telefoot after returning from muscular awakening. In 2004, Laurent said: “Before the match, players came to tell me we were going to lose. Three of them had been approached (not by Nantes residents) to ease off. “
On the ground, the Canaries of Jean-Claude Suaudeau, bearded and not far from being physically at the end of the rope, leave the direction of the game to Sylvain Kastendeuch and his family. “Normal, maliciously underline Coco, we were playing outside! “ In turn, Jean-Claude Pagal, Étienne Mendy and Lubomir Moravcik alert David Marraud. But in the 80th minute, Japhet N’Doram pierces and slides on his right to Nicolas Ouédec who deceives Joseph-Antoine Bell with a sharp hit (1-0). “Two hours later, there were still thousands of tears in the Cauldron”, was moved by Despeyroux in 2004.
“Will Laurent resign? “, then questions L’Équipe, evoking “The liar poker game started two years ago between Casino (main sponsor) and the current president […] because Casino has until June 30 to confirm its commitment “. The town hall chose Casino, the city’s flagship company, and Téléfoot is mentioned as “The drop of water that could make the vase overflow”.
The Greens of Jean-Pierre Cyprien had been eliminated by the Yellows of Stéphane Moreau. A defeat that had not displeased everyone in Saint-Etienne … (D. Fèvre / L’Équipe)
“I was not asked questions of journalists, but of inquisitors”, accuses Laurent. Larque denies the rumors: “I know how this whole story was born. In fact, the niece of the cousin of the vice-president’s neighbor saw me outside the Casino headquarters in Saint-Etienne, with a personal friend who sells fresh pasta! […] I am currently in a golden situation, and returning to Saint-Etienne I could risk taking a beating. “
Four days after the defeat, Laurent resigns, Yves Guichard, associate manager of Casino, will succeed him with Larqué as sports director. According to Guichard (quoted in “The Legend of the Greens: by those who wrote it”, by Bernard Lions), elimination had arranged it: “If we qualified for the final, we were European. And ruined. André Laurent had granted colossal bonuses to the players in this case. […] I prayed deep inside that they would lose because money remains the sinews of war. “