Bayeux’s amateurs juggle day jobs before Marseille tie in Coupe de France | OneFootball

Regional 1 side Bayeux, an entirely amateur outfit balancing work and football, meet Marseille in the Coupe de France last 32 on Tuesday at 21:00. According to L'Équipe, ordinary routines have turned into an extraordinary week.

Head coach Éric Fouda, 58, left full-time football to run his own plumbing business, working days then coaching nights, and has paused jobs to prepare to face a club he adores. He previously led Quevilly to the 2004-05 last 16, losing 0-2 at Sedan.

At Normandie Volets, captain Grégoire Delain, Pierre-Mickaël Anquetil and Paul Aubel have taken leave to train nightly. They already knocked out Caen 3-2 on 15 November in the seventh round, Aubel scoring the third.

Aubel missed OM in the last 32 with Granville on 17 January 2020, told 45 minutes before kick-off he was the 19th man as 70 relatives watched. After three meniscus operations, he calls this a second chance.

Midfielder Florian Lemasson splits time between a flax co-operative and the family farm, sometimes starting at six on matchday mornings.

The town has rallied, with 1,600 tickets selling in 90 minutes at Leclerc. Players posed with the trophy at Intermarché, goalkeeper Oscar Lecanu touching it for the first time.

Formed by a merger of three clubs in 1998, Bayeux are in their first appearance in the last 32, with about 450 members and 35 teams. President Luis Ferreira-Pavesi says they cleared a €79,000 deficit, partnerships reached €100,000, bonuses are €50 per win and none for a draw, and two new synthetic pitches have been announced to aid a National 3 push.

Source: L'Équipe