• From this Tuesday and until Sunday, at the H Arena, Nantes is hosting the Foosball World Cup.

  • This is the seventh time that such an international competition has taken place in Nantes.

  • Farid Lounas from Nantes, president of the International Federation, is the organizer of this event.

For more than twenty years, he has been the referent and the greatest defender of table football, more commonly known as table football, in France.

Farid Lounas eats, sleeps, lives for wheels, covers or wash bottles.

And he has contributed for a double decade to making Nantes the stronghold of table football at the national level.

From this Tuesday and until July 3, this 50-year-old man from Nantes (soon), current president of the International Table Football Federation (ITSF), supported by the city of Nantes, is organizing the table at the H Arena.

This is the seventh time that the city of the Dukes has hosted such a competition, since the creation in 2002 by Farid Lounas of the ITSF, whose headquarters are in Nantes.

How did this manager of a Nantes company (Capricci), which deals with production, distribution, magazines and film festivals, come to such an "addiction" for the baby?

In the early 1990s, the high school student was in Guist'hau.

During recess, it turns out pretty well, it shows off around the baby.

"I discovered this activity at that time..." He, the (very) good karateka, appreciates "the strong requirement, the possible progression,

the rigor” of discipline.

“I then made the choice of the baby rather than karate to do several hours a day.

He joined a club in Nantes then created his own… at the age of 21: the Nantes Atlantique table football (Nantes table football now).

France does not recognize the baby as a sport

The first tournaments multiplied very quickly on the banks of the Erdre.

In 1992-1993, birth of the "24 hours of the baby", one of the biggest French tournaments.

In 1998, the year of the Football World Cup, a major international competition was again invited to Nantes.

In 2000, Farid Lounas then put on the cap of President of the French Federation (until 2012).

Two years later, here he is at the head of the international body.

He takes his pilgrim's staff and travels around the world - "180 days a year on my own money" - to "convince and unify the rules of the baby between countries".

Certain blows authorized in France (rake) become prohibited at the international level.

“We started from scratch, 65 countries are now part of the Fed,” rejoices the Nantes resident.

One of his fights for so many years?

Recognize in France the baby - most often associated with bistros - as a sport.

The current president of the International Federation takes rake after rake.

“In Somalia, Armenia, Iran, China, Italy or Switzerland, it is recognized, but not here, in particular for economic reasons [the Ministry of Sports limits the number of Sports Federations], whereas we are at the origin of many things, regrets Farid Lounas.

Billiards is a sport, 10m pistol shooting too, but not baby.

The Nantais has been pleading the cause of this discipline with conviction for many years: “It is an extraordinary intergenerational tool for social ties and diversity.

The French authorities did not understand the social and societal interest of this activity.

In France, 500.

In the meantime, this Tuesday, 45 countries will be represented at the H Arena with 1,000 qualified players, from the U13 category to the over 63s.

10,000 matches will be played over six days on 200 babies.

Between 3 and 10 million viewers are expected on Twitch to follow the Nantes event, commented in French, English and German.

At the same time, the International Federation launched the “100 baby for schools” operation with the aim of equipping schools (schools, colleges and high schools) in the region free of charge, thanks to sponsors (companies).

Prices: from 2 to 8 euros during the week, up to 10 euros at the weekend, Family pass at 15 euros.

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