INTERVIEW
Like other Ligue 1 players, defender Damien Da Silva is taking his patience, waiting for a decision to be made regarding the future of the French championship. While the idea of resuming the season behind closed doors is gaining ground, particularly on the side of broadcasters, the former player at Stade Malherbe de Caen has serious reservations. "It wouldn't suit me at all, to tell the truth. Football without supporters is not real football," laments the Rennes defender at the microphone of Europe 1.
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"We were able to reverse the trend thanks to the supporters"
And the captain of the Red and Black argues: "We are often carried by the atmosphere. Player behind closed doors it never happened to me, it would be really weird and I think nobody wants it, honestly. The supporters are important , and I’m not saying that just to please them. In Rennes it was the case on several occasions, we knew how to reverse the trend thanks to them. "
If he maintains his physical condition with "treadmill, bike, strengthening", the player admits that it is "not the same efforts as in matches." Given the current health situation, Damien Da Silva therefore finds it difficult to plan for a resumption of Ligue 1, despite the announcement of progressive deconfinement on May 11.
"There is nothing more important than health, if we can not resume in safe and certain conditions, I would not be to resume," said the defender of Stade Rennais. "We are completely in the unknown, I do not think that it will progress enormously in the weeks to come. We should not be joking. I would like to finish the championship but in much more certain conditions than we are presented with it currently . "
Rennes one of the big winners if the championship stops
If, for the moment, only the amateur championships (up to National 2) have been stopped, Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 are not immune to such a possibility. "We are preparing for all cases," said Da Silva, who would welcome a freeze in the 2019/2020 ranking. And for good reason, Rennes is third, a place synonymous with the preliminary round of the Champions League!
"If the season ends there, finishing third for Stade Rennais would be very good. And this place is not almost unexpected, if 10 days from the end we are there, it is because we deserve it "The defender analyzes on Europe 1." We have shown good things throughout the season. At the start of the season if we had been told that, we would have signed up immediately. It was clearly the objective of the end of season to finish in the top three. "
As for the possibility of playing the prestigious Champions League next season, "Here we can speak of consecration, of dreams if we were to play the Champions League", advances Damien Da Silva. "It's kind of everyone's ultimate goal, it's one of the reasons why we work hard, personally or collectively. It's a dream to hear the music of the Champions League. do not plan in there, we do not ignite to say that we are going to play the Champions League, that would be wrong today. "