Nîmes Olympique: “So they had every interest in letting them go up”, Hanouna and Niort criticize the Crocos for having distorted the championship

Le président deux-sévrien a sorti la sulfateuse. MAXPPP – FELACE BENOIT

Mikaël Hanouna, président de Niort, qui a "loupé" la montée en Ligue 2 pour un point, a regretté le fait que Nîmes aligne une équipe largement remaniée pour son dernier déplacement à Martigues. Club promu en Ligue 2 auquel Nîmes pourrait louer son stade la saison prochaine.

Maintained two days before the end of the National, Nîmes Olympique made the short trip to Martigues last Saturday, with a largely reshuffled team. An eleven encore which lost at the Francis-Turcan stadium (1-0), and offered the Provençal club a promotion to Ligue 2.

Also read: National: Nîmes Olympique ends its season with a defeat against Martigues, promoted to Ligue 2

An accession with 59 points for second in the championship behind Red Star, but ahead of Niort (58 points), third and complete joke. The Deux-Sévriens had to win on Saturday in Avranches, done (1-3) and hope for a result other than a victory in Martigues, to return to the antechamber of Ligue 1.

A disappointment for Niort and its president Mikaël Hanouna, who accused the Nîmes club of having "false" the championship, on  France Bleu Poitou.

"There are numerous presumptions of distorted sporting fairness"

"Nîmes fielded a completely overhauled team with seven starters absent at kick-off. The Crocodiles, who remained on four consecutive victories, deliberately went to Martigues with the intention of losing, castigates the leader, bitter, when he saw the announcement of a probable rental of the Antonins stadium, in Martigues, at the start of next season, while the Provençaux bring their stadium up to L2 standards.

Also read: Nîmes Olympique: a half-baked assessment, all the figures for the season

"48 hours after this match, I learned that Martigues should play its Ligue 2 matches next season at the Antonins . So they had every interest in letting them go up. There are numerous presumptions of distorted sporting fairness, notes Hanouna, who contacted the Federation and requested an investigation.

Niort, put on sale this summer, will return to the Crocos next season for a new year in National.