So far, everything seemed to be following the perfect scenario. But then the final sprint turned into a Hitchcockian thriller. Promoted to Division 1, Germain Moussy’s team had taken the lead of the championship from the first steps of the season, to the point of approaching the last day with a clear equation: one point was enough to validate a third consecutive promotion and a historic rise to Regional 3.
But amateur football likes to blur the pre-written scenarios. On Sunday, facing Bouc-Bel-Air, the Orange and Black still held their happiness a few minutes before the end before seeing this point fly away on a final offensive by Ludovic Heidelberger’s men. A defeat (2-1) at the worst moment, experienced as a brutal blow after months of watching everyone in the rearview mirror. “We are frustrated with our performance. It doesn’t take away from their victory, they played a very good match, but we, we didn’t perform well. Maybe it’s the pressure, maybe it’s the context… We didn’t have our usual clarity,” admits Étoile’s coach, Germain Moussy.
At the same time, the Fosséenne reserve team was held to a draw against Carnoux (2-2), a result that left FCEH with a one-point lead in the standings.
The Fos reserve team was leading the title and the promotion to Regional 3 at that time. However, in the meantime, the people of Fos raised a concern regarding the alleged participation of a Carnoux player. A procedure that could offer a victory by default to ES Fos and shake up the hierarchy.
If the reserve team’s claim is validated, then the title and promotion would be decided by just one point between the two teams. The club now awaits the decision of the Provence District commission, with fair play as the ultimate arbiter to differentiate the contenders. “Normally, it should be fine, but we are waiting for confirmation before rejoicing. Instead of celebrating, we are in doubt. We simply hope that our season will not hinge on this,” says the FCEH coach.
An anxious wait for an imminent response, with a group that thought they had done the hard part before seeing their dream of Regional 3 suspended a few lines into a minutes of a verbal procedure.
