How did you experience the descent to L2?
“The evening of May 29 was the darkest I have experienced at Geoffroy-Guichard since I became a co-shareholder of ASSE. The trauma was enormous. It has been a great personal suffering, being myself a supporter since 1957. I am unhappy for the club, the employees and the supporters. I still remember happier times, especially after the 2003-2004 season. At the time, to save the club and avoid its relegation to National, I did not hesitate to hire one of my companies, Sacma Agencement. I became the main jersey sponsor at the start of this season because the president at the time had found no one when he passed the DNCG. And that year, we were crowned Ligue 2 champions and moved up to Ligue 1. We would stay there for 18 years…”
Who is primarily responsible for this failure?
“Since the appointment of Claude Puel as general manager, I no longer ensure the sporting direction of the club and I then deplored some of his choices concerning the workforce. Operational management has been provided by Jean-François Soucasse (Executive Chairman, Editor’s note) since 1er July 2021. However, I obviously include myself in the responsibility for this collective failure, just like my co-partner (Bernard Caïazzo, editor’s note), the management and of course the players. It is quite obvious that it was a very bad season. There were plenty of problems. But after the draw in Nantes, I believed in it. We had our destiny in our hands. I really thought we were going to save ourselves in the play-offs. During the return match against Auxerre, I don’t think the players played a game for the survival of the club. He lacked the desire, the investment. »
It would be indecent to blame Pascal Dupraz
Do you regret the choice of Pascal Dupraz last December?
“When Claude Puel was ousted, Jean-François Soucasse surrounded himself with Loïc Perrin and Samuel Rustem. In the end, their choice fell on Pascal Dupraz. It would be totally indecent to put the blame on a single man. Especially since he acted with the utmost honesty and giving the maximum. He did his job. Despite the 20 points taken under his direction, it ultimately came down to very little. »
Why did you call Laurent Batlles back?
“It’s another collective decision taken by the trio because Laurent (Batlles) met all the criteria. He is a former pro, experienced, who knows Ligue 2 well, having promoted Troyes after his second year as coach. He played at ASSE and loves the club, its environment, its supporters. He has held several positions there, which allows him to know the club and its employees well. The latter are also delighted to find him. I’m really happy that he’s coming back, I also regretted that Ghislain Printant didn’t take him on as number 1 assistant. During his stay in Troyes, his family made the choice to stay and live here. This proximity matters. »
What means will ASSE have to recruit?
“The club is in working order with a close-knit team around Jean-François Soucasse. Despite the violent impact of relegation, ASSE continues to have healthy finances, as evidenced by the successive decisions of the DNCG. The triumvirate (Soucasse, Rustem and Perrin, editor’s note) has been in daily contact with the coach since his appointment. As Laurent Batlles mentioned during his press conference, everyone is actively preparing for this new season with ambition. »