Thierry Cenatiempo will wait until the end of his match to focus on Cannes, the disappearance of Laurent Bardot, Mickaël Gas number 1, OAC remains focused until the end, and the simplified French Women’s Handball Cup.
Nîmes Olympique
No ear in Cannes. Saturday night, for Les Crocodiles, the climb to League 3 will be at the Courtois-Fillot stadium in Limonest where they must win to hope to reach the third level of French football. But a large part of the fate of the Nîmois will depend on the clash between AS Cannes (1st) and Saint-Maur (3rd). It must be simple, the Cannes team must not win and the NO must. Not simple, but not impossible either. So will the Nîmois delegation have an ear on the side of the Pierre-de-Coubertin stadium? “Not at all. I rarely show authoritarianism but I will impose on the staff and everyone to wait for the final whistle to focus on the result of Cannes – Saint-Maur. I consider that we have our destiny in our hands, there are no questions to ask,” said Thierry Cenatiempo. The president of Nîmes Olympique Ensemble remains calm for this last day: “If we are first, we will celebrate, otherwise we will not be upset because we have had a very good season and we will occupy a very good position to be part of League 3 next season.” The Nîmes president is considering a repêchage in the future League 3, the admission criteria of which could put some clubs in difficulty. One of them prohibits synthetic turf on L3 stadiums. This concerns, for example, Paris 13 Atletico (13th in the National) and Saint-Maur (3rd in N2 group C but can still move up to L3). But this season, Ligue 3 will grant a derogation that will allow clubs to comply for the 2027-28 season.
Laurent Bardot is no more. The former player of Nîmes Olympique passed away at the age of 58. Trained at NO, French cadet champion in 1982, he mainly played with the first team during the 1990-91 season. The central defender then wore the Chamois Niortais shirt before holding roles as a player and manager in Vergèze and Langlade. “After wearing our colors at the end of his career as a player, he continued to invest with passion in the club as a manager, contributing enormously to the life and development of the EPV,” posted the Vergèze club on its social networks. Laurent Bardot also left a very good memory to his former teammates, like Alain Espeisse: “Laurent was the youngest of our generation, he was a French cadet champion with us. He played at a higher level than his age. He was a great guy, always joking, in a good mood. A top-level guy and a great lefty.” On his side, Philippe Debaty does not hide his sadness: “Laurent was a friend from the very beginning. We rubbed shoulders in Nîmes for nine years. His passing is a great loss for me.” The former Crocodile’s funeral will take place on Monday at 11 a.m. at the Nîmes crematorium.
The Antonins stadium succeeds well with Mickaël Gas. Photo: Anthony Maurin.
Mickael Gas, number 1 at the Antonins. Before potentially sending Nîmes Olympique to League 3, the coach of the Crocodiles earned a symbolic title. With last Saturday’s victory against Istres (3-0), Mickaël Gas became the coach with the most wins at the Antonins stadium (11 victories). By playing fewer matches than his predecessors, the technician surpassed Frédéric Bompard and Adil Hermach in all areas. The current NO coach has the best winning percentages (68%) and defeat (18%) and the best ratio of goals scored (1.93/match) and conceded (0.32/match). Finally, the five best attendances at the Antonins stadium have been achieved since Mickaël Gas has been in charge of the first team. These are honorary titles, but this week, the coach will find out if he has passed his DESJEPS (Higher State Diploma in Youth, Popular Education, and Sport). No doubt a promotion to League 3 would be the most beautiful reward.
Olympique d’Alès in the Cévennes
Stay focused until the end. There is only one home game left for the Alès team before concluding a season that has been almost perfect in terms of sports. Whatever happens this Saturday after the match against OM’s reserve team, the Cévenols can be satisfied with their season. They were predicted to fight for the middle of the table, with a recruitment considered too young and inexperienced, and they have proven they could compete for the title until the end, even with a deduction of eight points. Moreover, there is still hope to try to secure promotion to National 2, and to try to have no regrets, they will need to win and do the job against a professional reserve team. “We have to do the job until the end with the same commitment, the same state of mind,” analyzes Jean-Marie Pasqualetti. “Even if it’s a somewhat special week because it’s the last of the season, and because it’s the Feria here, but we’re going to focus on staying serious. ” Concentration will have to be maintained until the end for the coach, who will give Thursday as a rest day for his players, as usual. “I don’t forbid them anything, as long as they train seriously. After that, it’s up to them to know what they want. If they think they want to win the last match against a pro reserve team after sleeping for three hours in four days, it will seem difficult to me. So either we want to win the match, or we will look ridiculous in front of our supporters. We have to stay serious without going overboard, but we will try to win it like all the others,” concludes the coach from Alès.
French Women’s Handball Cup
Back to simplicity. The French Handball Federation has decided, for the next French Women’s Cup (2026-27), to return to a more classic direct elimination format. The group stage, a bit convoluted and resulting in meaningless matches and unnecessary travel expenses, is therefore removed in favor of a traditional format. However, some principles remain unchanged. Clubs engaged in European competitions will only enter from the quarter-finals. There will be a complete draw from the first round, and D2 clubs (Bouillargues HNM and USAM Gard Nîmoises) will benefit from protection. When a D2 club faces a D1 club, it will be guaranteed to play at home. Work must now be undertaken on the financial regulations of the French Cup, which until now was adapted to the format with group stages.
Nordic Walking
Three Nîmes residents shine at the French championships. At the French Long-Distance Nordic Walking Championships, held in Neuf-Brisach in Alsace last Saturday, several athletes from Gard stood out with very good results. Xavier Gelin (ACL 30 – Aimargues) became the vice-champion of France in the long-distance event of 18.2 km. Romain Luis Dit Chollet (ASSP Vergèze) won the title of French champion in the Senior Men’s category (SEM), and Anette Courquet (ASSP Vergèze) became vice-champion of France in the Master 6 Women’s category (M6F). Accessible to all ages, Nordic walking is a complete activity that engages more than 90% of the body’s muscles thanks to the use of specific poles. It improves endurance, breathing, posture, and muscle strengthening while remaining low-impact on the joints. It is a friendly sport, practiced both for leisure and competition.
