For Tours, which has already lost a first final this season in the CEV Cup (2nd European level), this defeat is bitter because Kévin Tillie's teammates thought they had won an eleventh French Cup in the history of TVB, against a Chaumont announced outside at the end of the tie break (16-15 for Tours).

But on a video challenge posed by the Italian coach of Chaumont Silvano Prandi, the referees saw the sharp Touraine Pierre Derouillon, top scorer of the game for Tours with 22 points, touch the ball.

The counters were thus reset to zero with a tie at 16 points everywhere and two sets everywhere, after 140 minutes of an intense fight.

Four points later, on a final against CVB52 validated by the video, it was the Haut-Marne camp who were able to celebrate the success, a first for this club which has arrived in recent years at the top of French volleyball with a championship title. in 2017.

Continue on the Ligue A play-offs

"We are playing the team which is clearly the strongest in the championship, there is nothing to say, it is the team which has dominated the championship since the start of the year. We were underdogs tonight, we knew, but we have so much + slab +", commented at the microphone of the Sport channel in France the smuggler of Chaumont Raphaël Corre.

The native of Rennes still had the final of the French championship lost last year against Cannes across his throat.

"We want to win everything. We had a great opportunity in a match. We knew it was going to be complicated," he added.

"At the end, we win, but frankly, it can go both ways. The ultra contentious ball at the end, it's complicated to judge. I think the decision is good because Pierre tells us that he touches it “, concluded Raphaël Corre.

For the TVB, led by the Olympic champion Kévin Tillie, we will have to very quickly put aside this setback, because the quarter-finals of the League A arrive next week with the reception of Tourcoing.

The French championship is the last possibility for the Tourangeaux to register a trophy this season on the club's list, while Chaumont, opposed to Nice in the quarter-finals, will want to seek a second league title.

© 2022 AFP