This is the epilogue of long weeks of crisis. In any case, he hopes so. Cédric Cazenabe is about to take the reins of his favorite club: Anglet Hormadi, which plays in Magnus League
, the elite of French ice hockey. The 49-year-old entrepreneur has been named president by the shareholders at the general meeting
of this Monday evening. Since September, the club has been shaken by cascading resignations
both players and managers. The sporting results at half mast had prompted fan anger who had demanded the resignation of President Grégoire Delage. “Head outside” could we read on a banner unfurled in the stands
of the Barre ice rink on September 30th. It is in this context that Cédric Cazenabe takes over the presidency of Hormadi. Less than 12 hours after his election, he agreed to answer questions from France Bleu Pays Basque.
A new president, a new management at Anglet Hormadi. To change what?
Cedric Cazenabe: We are going to change a lot of things. We will start again on a family plan. We will first do an internal audit to see what is going well and what is not. But we will also reassure the supporters, that’s the first thing. We need them for the rink. We also need to support volunteers. The club could not move forward without them and the administrative team. (…) The goal today is to reconcile everyone. As I say, the Hormadi is a family
a human story.
Hormadi’s annual budget is around €1,200,000. It is almost three times less than Rouen, almost five times less than Grenoble, which are the two leading clubs in the Magnus League. Is it enough to exist in the ice hockey elite?
We need to bring in renowned partners who will be there for years, who will support us. We have already launched a network. Today, we already have about thirty partners who have placed their trust in us. Last week, I had an appointment with a big sign that should join us too. So we believe in it. You have to believe in it, otherwise you wouldn’t be here.
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Hormadi is currently ninth in the Ligue Magnus standings. What is the goal for this season?
The playoffs! I want to be clear, even if we only do one lap afterwards. We have to give the players confidence. We have to show them that we are with them and that we want to accompany them. So you have to go to the playoffs
.
Are you going to bring in new players?
The athlete is not my role, it is Pierrick Rezard
. He has my trust. Now, it’s true that there are budgets, there are players to choose from. We will discuss it among ourselves.
© Radio France
–
Celine Arnal
Listen to Cédric Cazenabe’s interview in its entirety here
.