Football: Alès relegated, players leave, the coach stays, the DNCG arrives, the first news of the off-season
Le manager Philippe Mallaroni : « Saison chaotique ». Midi Libre – ALEXIS BETHUNE
National 2/Review. The OAC was aiming for the National this year. Result, he will find the N3…
A catastrophic championship
L’OAC was an illusion at the start (4th after 6 days, three consecutive successes at the start of the fall) and at the end (4 wins and a draw in the last 5) of the championship. Between the two, it was catastrophic, with a terrible series of 15 matches without a victory.
The first Alesian goal of the year 2024 in Pibarot in N2 will be scored on April 20 against Fréjus-Saint-Raphaël (1-0)! The departure of top scorer Diaby at the break perhaps explains this. Didn't the Cévennes club shoot itself in the foot by letting it go to a direct competitor (Évian, even if it didn't shine)? The signal given was not good, in any case…
"He wanted to leave, and in football, it’s difficult to go against a player’s wishes, < /em> specifies the general manager Philippe Mallaroni. On the sporting side, the dominant feeling is a failure because our objective was not to join the National 3… The end of the season also leaves us with many regrets, even if we managed to reach 10th place after a chaotic season."
Between the succession of missed penalties, incredibly unfavorable incidents of play and injuries and suspensions, not much went right. Apart from an interesting run in the Coupe de France, ended with a round of 32 loss against Paris FC (Ligue 2, 1-2).
Wave of departures among players
The individual interviews were held this weekend. At the request of Midi Libre, the OAC communicated a first list of players who are leaving the club: Louis Laurent, Sofiane Jdaini, Pierrick Cros, Jérémy Iafrate, Ryad Nadifi, Théo Peyrard, Tom Husson, Daysam Ben Nasr, Brahim Mahamat, Franck Betra, Arnold Abelinti and Joris Correa. That’s a good half of the workforce.
Others will leave soon: "Regarding the other players in the group, discussions are continuing", specifies the OAC.
Hakim Malek, under contract, remains
According to our information, the Oacian board considers that it is mainly the players who are responsible for the descent. With this in mind, there is no reason why coach Hakim Malek should not continue his mission at the head of the first team.
"What can I say other than that he is still under contract with the club", replies Mallaroni to our questions. Until 2026, in fact. 2026, here is a new milestone to hold…
The DNCG Tuesday, between hope and ambition
This is perhaps the most important meeting of the offseason. The OAC is summoned before the DNCG, the financial policeman of French football, this Tuesday, May 28. This has not always been successful for him in the recent past (5 penalty points for financial irregularities last season). The club nevertheless wants to be confident.
"With President Didier Bilange, we worked on two budgets, specifies the general manager. One for the N3, the other for the N2 because the hope of a repechage is still relevant (in the event of bankruptcy of other clubs, Editor's note). What is certain is that we will start a new cycle with the desire to build a competitive group."
According to our sources, Alès (second best 10th of the four N2 groups) is third on the list of potential draftees: Haguenau (lowest 9th), Saumur (best 10th) is ahead, Colmar (third 10th) is right behind.
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