We’re not going to lie to you, this Sunday at the Notre-Dame market in the heart of Versailles, it’s not easy to find people to celebrate the feat of FC Versailles 78. “Very few customers told us about footballers this morning,” admits Stéphane, a market gardener. However, the market is crowded but between foreign tourists, customers in a hurry and activists who distribute a few leaflets a few weeks before the presidential election, the atmosphere is neither very football nor very festive. And this while Versailles, this Sunday morning is on the front page of the newspaper l’Equipe!
“Congratulations to Versailles, Congratulations to the Football Club”
After some research, we still found a new fan of FC Versailles 78. Her name is Myriam, this dapper fifties bought herself the newspaper with Versailles on the front page “It’s a little pride! We went to encourage them in the previous match but Toulouse was a bit far away. We listened to the match on the radio. We had a great time and now frankly depending on the draw, I think that “We’re going back to the stadium. We’re real supporters – last minute, yes – but still we’re proud”.
Seated at the “Au rendez-vous des Touristes” a café near Les Halles, we find François-Xavier, known as “the cat” and Mathieu. These two Versaillesers who are more rugby than football did not hide their pleasure in congratulating the footballers: “I think it’s great. It’s a real great adventure, Congratulations to Versailles and the Football Club” and chain “before Versailles was a plan-plan city. There, thanks to young people, to a new generation, we are becoming a more dynamic territory”.
The two friends, like Myriam and her husband Ludwig, now hope that FC Versailles 78 will make a good draw this Monday evening, and face in the quarter-finals of the Coupe de France “PSG would be really good for a little match between neighbors”.
Some supporters in Montbauron to welcome the heroes
While the Versaillese ate and the tourists strolled in the gardens of the castle, the heroes of the Coupe de France returned home. Around 2 p.m., after returning by plane this Sunday noon from Toulouse, the footballers of FC Versailles 78 landed at the Stade Montbauron by bus. There, some supporters were waiting for them like Bruno who was at the Toulouse Stadium on Saturday afternoon “We are not surprised that there are not many people to welcome them. Versailles is not a football city, but it will come. We have to come and encourage this team, they deserve it. I’m sure that this qualification will wake people up.”
Tired eyes but a wide smile on the lips, the young captain of FC Versailles Mael Durand de Gevigney did not take umbrage to see so few people welcoming his team after the XXL feat of this weekend. “There were people at the Stadium for us, we received a lot of messages. It was the general manager who asked that we not do a big thing here. He wants us to rest but we thank people for all the encouragement. Now we are waiting for them for the matches in the league”.