Without a field in Marseille at the start of the season, the quiet Azura club, a sports club for the disabled, ends up as champion

In today’s ever-increasing news, it is news that we like to share, beautiful stories that end well. Like that of the silent Azura club in Marseille. An almost hundred-year-old football club, with deaf and hard-of-hearing members and associated with disabled sports, Azura contacted us last September to tell us about the need, three weeks before the resumption of the D2 championship: “The town hall has left us for ten years on totally dilapidated land, Maussane (11.)“, coach Yannick Bouret announced.

“We’re not asking for much, just one two-hour slot per week at an artificial turf stadium anywhere in the city“, added the president of the club, Rémi Oligeri. A place that the deputy mayor in charge of sports Sébastien Jibrayel (PS) said he was not able to give, given the work already underway in several municipal stadiums

Just over six months later, this is another message we received from coach Yannick Bouret. A man who is particularly happy and proud to announce that his team is now French D2 champion.

“It had been six years since the silent Azura club in Marseille had won a single title, he explains. We were already champions from the 7th day, but we still aimed to maintain our invincibility“. Eight games, eight wins: “We are extremely undefeated“, enthused the coach.

Their dream? To be congratulated by the city and the president of OM Pablo Longoria.

The last match ended with a victory for Azura over Toulouse, 3-2, on Saturday 13 April at the Sumeire stadium in Pennes-Mirabeau. This is where the season took another turn for Azura: “After the article published in September i Provencea club came forward, that of the JSPM (Pennes-Mirabeau club) through its president Aline Dinoia who was kind enough to give us slot machines, Thursday for training and Saturday for matches at the Sumeire stadium.“Two weeks before the resumption of the Championship, the players found themselves with a field but only two training sessions in their legs.

It was without regard to their determination. “Our need at the start of the season united the team, confirms Yannick Bouret. We supported each other so much, fought so hard that today we find ourselves with a staff and a team of brave soldiers with a brotherly spirit that we will never find anywhere!“And the coach will say hello”the hard work of the ultra-motivated players who suffered a lot in training without giving up, without forgetting the staff who are always there to support them and the president Rémi Oligeri (also a player on the team and selected for the French deaf team for the European Championship which will be held in June in Turkey) who has always been able to give full confidence to my employees and myself! I am so proud of my players because they fully deserve this title as French D2 champions!“

Next season in D1 they will find the elite and clubs such as Paris Asnières (reigning European champions), Vitry, Nîmes and Reims. “A very difficult but exciting championship because we Marseillais love challenges“, the coach is already satisfied. Who dreams now,”because we deserve it” to receive the congratulations of OM president Pablo Longoria, and the city of Marseille. Hoping, why not, to have the chance to play their official matches on a synthetic pitch in a Marseille stadium next season. The message happened.