Almost three years after the last edition lost against the Stéphanois (1-0), the Lyon-Saint-Etienne derby returns, on Sunday, November 10 at 8:45 p.m., in Ligue 1. This season, the Greens have found the elite and If their first part of the season is delicate (sixteenth with 10 points) despite the recent victory against Strasbourg (2-0), the prospect of facing the 125my Once Olympique Lyonnais (OL), their regional rival, always sounds like a very special match.
“A derby is a different game. Everything is possible »Aïmen Moueffek, one of the five Saint-Etienne players trained in the Saint-Etienne Sports Association (ASSE), awaits. “Today we are far from their workforce.adds Loïc Perrin, sports coordinator of Los Verdes. But, in a match like this, the levels can get closer by playing with certain values. It takes a strong conviction that you can do it. This is how we managed to achieve results in the past. »
The owners are no longer local (the two Rhône-Alpes clubs moved under the American flag) and there are, on each team, fewer players born in Saint-Etienne or Lyon, but the transmission of the importance of the derby continues. “As soon as we joined such a small club, we know this notion of the derby, says Aïmen Moueffek. It is moral in the game not to lose.. And the players who arrive at Saint-Etienne quickly realize their importance. It is the biggest derby in France. »
Former defender with seventeen professional years, all of them played for Saint-Etienne, Loïc Perrin has the necessary knowledge to “explains what the derby represents” to ASSE recruits. He also has the players trained at the club (Léo Pétrot, Mickaël Nadé, Louis Mouton, Mathis Amougou and Aïmen Moueffek) to “transmit this culture” to his teammates.
“It was a great fair”
As soon as a player signs with Forez, they are shown a video introducing the club and its history. A visit to the Green Museum is also planned. “Immerse yourself in what Saint-Etienne is”. Obviously, the rivalry between Lyonnais and Stéphanois plays an important role there.
Emblematic president of the ASSE between 2006 and June 2024, Roland Romeyer, grandson of Upper Loire farmers, still attends all meetings at the Geoffroy-Guichard stadium and remains one of the guarantors of the spirit of Saint-Etienne. “My first game in the stadium was a derby. It was February 10, 1957. [le dixième derby, victoire stéphanoise 3-2]I was 12 years old, I was amazed, he remembers. It was a great fair, very warm and very beautiful. This match marked me. »
More than fifty years later, Roland Romeyer sat in the stands of the Gerland stadium in Lyon to celebrate his hundredthmy derby in the history of Ligue 1, during an improbable victory for the Greens (1-0). “That one surprised everyone. It was September 25, 2010.memory quote. Frankly, we hadn’t existed the whole game and we won with a free kick from Dimitri Payet. »
From the pitch, Loïc Perrin was directly involved in this victory, the first in the derby since… April 6, 1994: “At that time, Lyon was in Ligue 1. From 2010 onwards, we got closer and started winning a little more. » Five victories between 2014 and 2019, one of which gives Roland Romeyer hope: “On October 6, 2019, we were not doing well in the classification either. Claude Puel had just been appointed coach. We won 1-0 with a goal from Robert Beric. »
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Record
At 23 years old, midfielder Aïmen Moueffek, born in Vienne (Isère), in a shared city “50-50 between Saint-Etienne and Lyon fans”They have never won against OL in three professional derbies. Most notably, he started during the 5-0 home win on January 24, 2021. “I lost the professional derbies, but if I calculate all the ones I played as a youth player, I won many more than I lost”he insists.
“We are not here to laugh”
For this adoption of “Gaga”, the derby players are divided into two categories: those who “they are under more pressure” and those who feed on it “more motivation”. As expected, the young man says yes. “part of the second category” and announces the color: “Oh no! There will be no observation round. We are going to hurt them, score as many goals as possible and suffocate them. We are not here to laugh. »
In Décines-Charpieu (Rhône), at the OL stadium, the Greens will have to do without the “official” support of their fans, who are prohibited from traveling by a double prefectural and ministerial decree, with the party being classified “very high risk”. . On Saturday, November 2, Greens fans chanted homophobic chants against Lyonnais during the Saint-Etienne-Strasbourg match.
“Before, at Geoffroy-Guichard, we would meet other fans, play, make friends and go for a drink.laments the former president of the Greens, Roland Romeyer. The Lyonnais or Stéphanois could show off their colors outside. Now we can’t take it anymore. »
