Nice Première asked the opinions of many people from Nice, who, if they are lucky, will be at the Stade de France, and for the others, they’ll watch the game on television or at Place Masséna where it will be shown on a giant screen.
We will continue to publish reactions, but if you want to respond to these questions, you are welcome on the forum of this article.
A small note for those who are meticulous, the interviews are published in the order they are received.
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PIFOU
Webmaster www.ogcn.net
Nice Première: Just a few days before the final, how do you feel about this Nice vs. Nancy match?
Pifou: The match is shaping up under the best possible conditions. A complete squad, good results, and a real quality of play.
On the other hand, uncertainty and an offensive breakdown, coupled with somewhat messy play… There’s confidence and a slight taste for revenge compared to the CF defeat against Nancy in 1978, where my frustration as a kid was as big as France’s elimination from the World Cup that same year.
But be careful, when we won the French Cup in 1997, we were in worse shape than Nancy, we were relegating to League 2 and Guingamp, the clear favorite, already saw themselves lifting the Cup…
NP: Will you be at the Stade de France, and if not, where will you watch the match?
P: At the Stade de France, of course, and ready to cheer twice as loudly as the people from Nancy, making us 46,000 people from Nice!
NP: What is your prediction for this final?
P: No predictions, but hoping to finish with a slight one-goal edge would already be quite good.
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JEROME RIVIERE
Deputy of Nice
Nice Première: Just a few days before the final, how do you feel about this Nice vs. Nancy match?
Jérôme Rivière: Sportingly, the psychological advantage is with us. But there’s nothing to feel, we must win. The whole team wants it, the whole city is behind them.
NP: Will you be at the Stade de France, and if not, where will you watch the match?
JR: No! Despite many invitations, I will stay in Nice to watch the match with my sons and friends!
NP: What is your prediction for this final?
JR: 1-0 for Nice, but right from the first half!
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SEBASTIAN BONFILS
Law Student
Nice Première: Just a few days before the final, how do you feel about this Nice vs. Nancy match?
Sebastian Bonfils: Nice has very well prepared for this top-notch encounter by ending Stade Rennais’s streak of 8 consecutive victories. Nancy returned from the Vélodrome with a heavy loss and a defense losing confidence after conceding six goals and an invisible offense.
Unless Nancy has been holding back in preparation for the final, Nice starts with a mental edge. Moreover, the victory obtained at Ray a few weeks ago, under strange circumstances, will weigh heavily in minds. At least as much as the stakes. But we must have faith in the players from Nice who have already experienced such matches in their past clubs. There’s no reason why their experience shouldn’t help OGC Nice win.
NP: Will you be at the Stade de France, and if not, where will you watch the match?
SB: Unfortunately, I will not travel to the stadium. I had the opportunity but with exams just a few days away, I prefer to stay in Nice to study. I will follow the match from home or from Place Massena, I’m not sure yet. It’s clear, though, if we win, I’ll go downtown to celebrate with the people of Nice!
NP: What is your prediction for this final?
SB: 2-1 for Nice would be great, it would mean qualification for the UEFA Cup next season. But I mostly hope that the game will be open and that the stakes won’t paralyze the players. I also hope that the supporters seize this opportunity to show how much they can support their team and that they are not those violent groups that some media have recently tried to compare to the known violent supporter groups from Paris or Marseille.
