New stadium in Montpellier: faced with the stagnation of projects, the rehabilitation of the Mosson would be a contradiction of history

The Mosson stadium and the 1998 World Cup. But time has passed… MAXPPP – Guillaume Bonnefont

Having failed to find a place to host the new Louis-Nicollin stadium, the renovation of La Mosson is back in fashion. "It is regrettable that in 2016 We did not take action to recover the State's money, it is a major fault, denounces Michaël Delafosse.

And if it was him? While the project for a new stadium called Louis-Nicollin is in decline, the renovation of La Mosson is coming back to the’ rsquo;order of the day, which seemed unthinkable in view of the rather pathetic end of life of a dilapidated and floodable enclosure. President Laurent Nicollin's MHSC is well placed to talk about it.

But while for the moment none of the replacement sites have been able to achieve unanimous approval (Ode to the Sea, Grammont, Parc des Expositions), Michaël& ;nbsp;Delafosse plans to explore this fourth avenue in a fallback position. For lack of anything better…

"If nothing comes to fruition, the MHSC tool will have to be renovated. Indeed, La Mosson has a flood problem and would require investments that would be very expensive. However, the model of football in Ligue 1, it cannot be public subsidies to support the club. We can clearly see that we need to find other models, testifies the president of the Montpellier Méditerranée Metropolis.

In 2016, the State proposed 50 M€ to renovate La Mosson. Proposal refused…

Inaugurated on January 13, 1972, the La Mosson stadium, located in the La Paillade district, is today older than its age, although completely renovated for the World Cup 1998. Reduced for years to a capacity of 22,000 spectators, it is also congested in cities and rivers, with the impossibility of exploiting it commercially. the places.

It is regrettable that at that time no action was taken to recover the state's money. This is a major mistake

Too late, now the train has passed. Thus, in 2016, the State proposed a slate of 50 million euros in order to bring La Mosson up to standard for the organization of the Euro in France . A proposal refused. "It is regrettable that at that time no hand was taken to recover state money. It’is a major fault", regrets Delafosse.

A move, yes, but where ?

For all these reasons, wanting to carry out a thorough facelift appears to be an aberration, worse, a nonsense of history. Engaged in the same boat, Nicollin and Delafosse remain in tune: the best solution pleads for a move. Yes, but where ? A question pending for years.

Delafosse is ready to be patient. "I met the president of Brest, Denis Le Saint, a major personality of French football, who told me how he carried out his project. It took him almost ten years. And there they laid the first stone. Nicollin just has to count the years.