The Stade de Reims, which has not played in the European Cup for 57 years, returns to competition Thursday night against Servettes de Genève, for the second preliminary round of the Europa League.
The president of the club, Jean-Pierre Caillot, is delighted with this return, citing a "state of effervescence".
It's a small match that reconnects with a big story.
That of the Stade de Reims which has not played in the European Cup for 57 years, it was then the Reims of Raymond Kopa.
It is therefore, Thursday evening, the first European meeting of the club since 1963. A chopper match against Servettes of Geneva, in the second preliminary round of the Europa League.
>> Find all the newspapers of the editorial staff of Europe 1 in replay and podcast here
"You can imagine in what a state of excitement we can be!"
This beautiful story is above all that of Jean-Pierre Caillot, the current president of the Stade de Reims, who had taken over a dying club in 2014. The Stade de Reims vegetated in the third division, despite its glorious past.
Season after season, Jean-Pierre Caillot has been able to revive this monument of French football.
"The return to L1, 33 years later, was already quite a symbol", he explains to Europe 1. "Returning to Europe, you can imagine what a state of excitement we can find ourselves in!"
Historic day!
Our Rémois will have the opportunity this evening to start writing a new page of stadist history ✍️ ⚪️
@ ServetteFC # SDR (Q2 @EuropaLeague), a meeting to follow on @ RMCsportpic.twitter.com / THg50MpocT
- Stade de Reims (@StadeDeReims) September 17, 2020
Reims and the European Cup of Champions Clubs (as it was called at the time) is the first great history of French football.
With Raymond Kopa, Just Fontaine, Roger Piantoni, the club had climbed twice in the final, in 1956 and 1959, losing each time to Real Madrid.
A golden age that ended in 1963. The Champenois were then eliminated in the quarterfinals by Feyenoord from Rotterdam.
Memories of goalkeeper Maurice Barreau
In the goals, Maurice Barreau, now 81 years old.
The latter remembers, at the microphone of Europe 1, these latest European matches.
"The return match, quite huge, with a crowd very close to us, one or two meters from the sidelines. We managed the matches, but not enough to qualify."
Thursday evening, in Geneva, there will be no public with the players for this great reunion.
Due to the Covid-19, the match will be held behind closed doors.