Coupe de France: Cannes, back to the future

In Cannes, Zinedine Zidane, Luis Fernandez and Safet Susic played. The Côte d'Azur club, professional from 1932 to 2004, won the Cup in 1932, played twice in the UEFA Cup in the early 1990s...

In 2014, then in CFA (4th division), Cannes already received Guingamp at the same stage of the competition. The Bretons won (2-0).

But in the process, the DNCG had, itself, taken Cannes, administratively relegated to DHR (7th division). The club which, in addition to Zidane, trained Patrick Vieira, but also a host of internationals (Casoni, Micoud, Frey, Zebina, Clichy, Escudé or Faubert), is barely recovering.

Various projects brought the club back to N2, until the resale of 98% of the shares by Anny Courtade, former president of the Cannes women's volleyball club, multiple European champion, to the American group Friedkin, then owner of AS Roma, and since 2024 of Everton. A European behemoth...

Formerly of Monaco, Félicien Laborde became general director in January 2024. After "a period of discovery" , he launched the project aimed at making Cannes a stable and training professional club. "We had to recruit a team, a staff," he explained to AFP. From three people for the organization of the club, we went to fifteen. The staff went from four to eight. We structured to "perform" and, in the medium term, move up."

Coach Fabien Pujo arrived, along with sixteen players. After the failed start to the season (one win in seven games), Laborde "learned the first lessons and made adjustments." There were three, he says. Things weren't going well with the coach. Damien Ott was recruited, but also Cheikh Ndoye and Jérémy Aymes to revive the dynamic in a healthy locker room, which lacked leadership. "Since then, Cannes has only lost one match.

“The taste of high level”

Félicien Laborde, General Manager

At the head of the club, which has a budget of five million euros and "a million euros in payroll" , Laborde preferred "to be N2 champion than in the semi-final of the Cup" . His coach, for his part, "would not exchange promotion to the National for anything in the world" .

Leader of Group A, Cannes has a two-point lead over Hyères. But Le Puy, four points behind, has two games in hand. "No one will give us any gifts, we will have to fight until the end in this very difficult championship with only one promotion," Laborde admits.

"The goal is the championship, but the Cup has always helped us improve, to maintain a positive dynamic that nourishes us," Ott says. And against Guingamp, it will be "joy." "I, who am an extra, am aware of the fervor," Ott insists.

After eliminating Grenoble, Lorient and Dives-Cabourg in the previous rounds, "we're going to fill the Coubertin stadium (where VAR will be installed, editor's note)" , smiles Laborde. "It wasn't on the roadmap. But it shows that there is a possibility of generating revenue, with sponsors and the public."

In N2, the average is 1500 spectators. It is 5000 in the Cup. But even by optimizing these revenues, the model is not viable without the support of a solid investor. And if it has not given a "deadline", the Friedkin group is counting on a fairly rapid evolution.

"We all put pressure on ourselves because we all want to go higher," concludes Laborde. "The Cup gives everyone a taste of the highest level. And the desire to return."