Thierry Cenatiempo will wait until the end of his match to focus on Cannes, the disappearance of Laurent Bardot, Mickaël Gas number 1, OAC remains focused until the end, and the simplified French Women’s Handball Cup.
Nîmes Olympique No ear in Cannes. Saturday night, for Les Crocodiles, the climb to Ligue 3 will happen at the Courtois-Fillot stadium in Limonest where they must win to hope to reach the third level of French football. But a big part of Nîmes destiny will depend on the clash between AS Cannes (1st) and Saint-Maur (3rd). Simply put, Cannes must not win and Nîmes must. Not easy, but not impossible either. So will the Nîmes delegation keep an ear on the result of Cannes – Saint-Maur after the final whistle? “Not at all. I rarely show authoritarianism but I will impose on the staff and everyone to wait until the final whistle to focus on the result of Cannes – Saint-Maur. I believe we hold our destiny in our hands, there are no questions to ask,” says Thierry Cenatiempo. The president of Nîmes Olympique Ensemble remains calm for this final day: “If we are first, we will celebrate, otherwise we will not be angry because we had a very good season and will occupy a very good place to be part of Ligue 3 next season.” The Nîmes president is considering a reshuffle in the future Ligue 3, the admission criteria of which could put some clubs in difficulty. One of them prohibits synthetic turf on L3 stadiums. This concerns, for example, Paris 13 Atletico (13th in National) and Saint-Maur (3rd in N2 pool C but still able to go up to L3). But this summer, Ligue 3 will grant a derogation allowing clubs to comply for the 2027-28 season.
Laurent Bardot is no more. The former Nîmes Olympique player passed away at the age of 58. Trained at NO, French cadet champion in 1982, he mainly played with the first team during the 1990-91 season. The center back then wore the Chamois niortais jersey before holding positions as a player and manager at Vergèze and Langlade. “After wearing our colors as a player at the end of his career, he continued to passionately invest in the club as a manager, contributing immensely to the life and development of EPV,” Vergèze club posted on social media. Laurent Bardot also left a very good memory with his former teammates, like Alain Espeisse: “Laurent was the youngest of our generation, he was a French cadet champion with us. He played at a higher level for his age. He was a great guy, always joking, unbelievably good-natured. A top-level guy and a great leftie.” Philippe Debaty also expresses his sadness: “Laurent was a friend from the beginning. We crossed paths in Nîmes for nine years. His passing is a great loss for me.” The former Crocodile’s funeral will take place on Monday at 11am at the Nîmes crematorium.
Mickael Gas, number 1 at the Antonins. Before potentially sending Nîmes Olympique to Ligue 3, the coach of Les Crocodiles achieved a symbolic title. With last Saturday’s victory against Istres (3-0), Mickaël Gas became the coach with the most wins at the Antonins stadium (11 victories). Despite playing fewer matches than his predecessors, the technician surpasses Frédéric Bompard and Adil Hermach in all areas. The current NO coach has the best win percentage (68%) and defeat percentage (18%) and the best ratios of goals scored (1.93/match) and conceded (0.32/match). Finally, the five best attendances at the Antonins stadium have been achieved since Mickaël Gas took charge of the first team. These are honorary titles, but this week, the coach will find out if he has succeeded in his DESJEPS (higher state diploma of youth, popular education, and sport). A promotion to Ligue 3 would undoubtedly be the best reward.
Olympique d’Alès en Cévennes Stay focused until the end. There is only one home match left for the Alès team before concluding a season that has been almost perfect on a sporting level. Whatever happens this Saturday after the match against OM’s reserve, the Cévennes players can be satisfied with their season. Despite being predicted to compete for the middle of the table, with a recruitment judged as too young and inexperienced, they have shown that they could vie for the title until the end, even with a penalty of eight points deducted. Moreover, there is still hope to try to secure a promotion to National 2, and to avoid any regrets, they must win and do the job against a professional reserve team. “We need to see it through to the end with the same commitment, the same mindset,” analyzes Jean-Marie Pasqualetti. “Even if it’s a somewhat particular week because it’s the last of the season, and because it’s Feria time here, we will make sure to remain serious. We will stay in the same seriousness. Concentration must be maintained until the end for the coach, who, as every week, gives Thursday as a rest day for his players. “I don’t forbid them anything, as long as they train seriously. After that, it’s up to them to know what they want. If they think they want to win the last match against a pro reserve having slept for three hours in four days, it will seem difficult to me. So either we want to win the match, or we will appear ridiculous in front of our supporters. We need to stay serious without overdoing it, but we will try to win like every other match,” concludes the Alès coach.
French Women’s Handball Cup Back to simplicity. The French Handball Federation has decided, for the upcoming Women’s French Cup (2026-27), to revert to a more traditional direct elimination format. The group stage, somewhat convoluted and leading to matches with no stakes and unnecessary travel expenses, is therefore removed in favor of a traditional format. However, some principles remain unchanged. Clubs involved in European competitions will only enter from the quarter-finals. There will be a full draw from the first round, and D2 clubs (Bouillargues HNM and USAM Gard Nîmoises) will benefit from protection. When a D2 club faces a D1 club, it will be guaranteed to play at home. Work must now be done on the financial regulations of the French Cup, which until now had been adapted to the group stage format.
Nordic Walking Three Nîmes athletes shine at the French championships. At the French long-distance Nordic walking championships, organized in Neuf-Brisach in Alsace last Saturday, several Gard athletes achieved very good results. Xavier Gelin (ACL 30 – Aimargues) became the vice-champion of France in the long-distance event of 18.2 km. Romain Luis Dit Chollet (ASSP Vergèze) secured the title of French champion in the Senior Male (SEM) category, and Anette Courquet (ASSP Vergèze) became the vice-champion of France in the Master 6 Female (M6F) category. Nordic walking, accessible to all ages, is a complete activity that engages nearly 90% of the body’s muscles through the use of specific poles. It improves endurance, breath, posture, and muscle strength while being gentle on the joints. It is a friendly sport, practiced both recreationally and competitively.
