Eight teams took part in this tournament, and in the end, it was FC Sochaux Montbéliard who emerged victorious in the final, beating OGC Nice on penalties (4-2). These talented young footballers, hailing from all corners of France and even the Seychelles, had the privilege of taking a photo with Ilan Kebbal or Bryan Dabo, who came specially for the occasion.
Former Burel players were also present
A walk around the Egiste Morini stadium on Sunday would lead to encounters with former Burel players who have had successful careers. Among them was Ilan Kebbal, a former teammate of Maxime Lopez (another Burel product) at Paris FC. He couldn’t miss an event he had himself participated in back in the day.
“This is my childhood club, I still know a lot of people here, it’s nice to come back,” said the Paris FC forward with a smile. “I played and won this tournament with the club, I still remember, it was a great moment.”
His jersey, along with Byan Dabo’s, was among the prizes in the tournament’s grand raffle. Dabo, who has also played for clubs like Saint-Etienne and Fiorentina, was also there to present the winner’s trophy to FC Sochaux.
“It’s important to come here, where my roots are, where I was formed like many players. It’s a historic place for youth development in Marseille. So, we try to give back to the club what it gave us. It’s wonderful to see talented youngsters having so much fun, I always keep an eye on the next generation.” Now retired after a final spell at Sepahan FC in Iran (2023-2025), Dabo, now 34, openly expresses his desire to become an agent or sporting director.
He was probably not the only one scouting the future talents during this lively weekend.
Despite the club finishing in 4th place in the tournament, Burel president Jean-Louis Distanti, who has been in office since 1992, was very satisfied with this edition.
“We heard that the level was particularly high this year. It’s a source of pride for us and all the coaches to welcome teams of this caliber to our club.”
FC Sochaux Montbéliard outperformed the local teams, much to the delight of their coach, Loris Mathias.
“We are aware that there is always a high level here, it’s important for players to be up against big teams like these. We were prepared for it. We also have to thank all the volunteers, the organization was impeccable.” echoed Elodie, mother of a young Burel player, who volunteered at the Egiste-Morini stadium’s refreshment stand.
“My son plays for the team and I’m happy to help this club. All our coaches and leaders contribute to educating our children too. So, it’s the least I can do to help.”
Referees in training equipped with earpieces
This 2026 edition, the 19th in history, was not only a success for the clubs. The Mediterranean Football League (LMF) took advantage of this tournament to introduce a new feature. All referees were equipped with an earpiece linked directly to a trainer on the sidelines.
These young referees received real-time instructions.
“We do not intervene in any way on decisions, only on positioning or technical details, it adds to their workload, we even question them during the match. We have already seen a great improvement in just two days. It’s encouraging,” praised Cyril Boureau, vice-president of the departmental referees’ commission in charge of training.
It goes to show that even in the field of refereeing, Burel FC is a development club.
