The China Mail - Yes, oui, Cannes! Glamour name eyes place in French Cup final

Paris Saint-Germain have unsurprisingly dominated the competition in recent years and are favourites to retain the trophy as they prepare to take on Dunkerque of Ligue 2 in the first semi-final on Tuesday.

However, Cannes are following the example set by numerous other clubs from the lower leagues in recent years.

Les Herbiers and Quevilly, both from the third division, each got to the final in the last decade, losing narrowly to PSG and Lyon respectively.

More recently, fourth-tier clubs Versailles and Rumilly-Vallieres have made the semi-finals in the last four seasons.

The ultimate example, however, is Calais, who in 2000 emerged from the fourth tier to get to the final, where they were unlucky to lose to Nantes.

Nevertheless, the Channel port of Calais does not have quite the same glamour as Cannes, the Cote d'Azur resort better known for its annual film festival than its football team.

- Zidane's first club -

And yet AS Cannes are a historic name in the French game. They won the French Cup in 1932 and were a fixture in the top flight for a time in the 1980s and 1990s, even making it to the UEFA Cup.

Zinedine Zidane began his career in the Cannes youth academy and was handed his debut aged 16 in 1989, while a few years later Patrick Vieira was given his senior bow in a Cannes shirt.

But the club slipped out of the professional leagues and disappeared practically into oblivion, being expelled to the depths of the seventh tier in 2014 due to financial problems.

They have slowly been working their way back up the divisions, and in 2023 were taken over by the US-based Friedkin Group which is involved in the film industry but also owns Roma and recently bought Everton.

A world away from Serie A and the Premier League, Cannes have an operating budget of five million euros ($5.4m), and a total wage bill of one million euros, the club's general manager Felicien Laborde told AFP in February.

- Friedkin takeover -

Of the Friedkins, Laborde told sports daily L'Equipe that "they delegate completely, just like they do at Roma and Everton, with whom there is no collaboration".

"The difference in level is too great and they respect the different characteristics of each club," he said.

He was speaking ahead of the quarter-final against Guingamp, who became the third Ligue 2 club eliminated by Cannes in this season's Cup, after Grenoble and Lorient.

The stars in this Cannes team are the 39-year-old former Senegal midfielder Cheikh N'Doye, once of Birmingham City, and the prolific forward Julien Domingues.

Cannes currently find themselves in the National 2, France's fourth tier which is split into three regionalised divisions, each comprising 16 teams.

The side finishing top of each group wins promotion, although Cannes are third in Group A, eight points behind leaders Le Puy with seven games left.

"The Cup has give us a taste of the top level, as well as the desire to get back there," admitted Laborde, who insisted promotion was the priority over the Cup.

However, after going five months unbeaten, Cannes have lost their last two matches, and it looks like that is going to prove costly in terms of promotion.

Now Reims stand in their way in a Cup tie which Cannes will host at their Stade Pierre de Coubertin, a few kilometres west of the Croisette.

Two-time European Cup finalists in the 1950s, Reims are themselves hoping to reach the French Cup final for the first time since 1977 amid a difficult season in Ligue 1.

"They are a Ligue 1 club, so if they want to take us they will take us. It all depends on them," admitted Cannes coach Damien Ott, subtly nudging the pressure onto the opposition.

B.Chan--ThChM