The euphoric celebrations of US Revel after the sixth-tier club were drawn against the might of Paris Saint-Germain in the French Cup this week showed what it means for amateur players just to be on the same pitch as world class talents like Kylian Mbappé.
There is a catch, though. The tiny club from southwest France will need to look for a larger stadium to host the fixture, as their home ground the Stade Municipal de Revel can only hold 3,500 spectators.
¡ALEGRÍA, EUFORIA Y LOCURA! US Revel, del Regional 1 de la sexta división del fútbol francés, se medirá ante el PSG por los 32avos de final de la Copa de Francia y…. ¡ASÍ LO FESTEJARON SUS JUGADORES TRAS VER EL SORTEO!
📹: IG | usrevel pic.twitter.com/mHZ4Nfj7mS
— SportsCenter (@SC_ESPN) December 11, 2023
Footage of the players and staff bouncing around and yelling with joy went viral after Monday’s Round of 64 draw paired the French champions with the team from an area better known for rugby.
“It’s incredible, something you just can’t even imagine, these players play in World Cups, they score in World Cups, they’re in the top for the Ballon d’Or, it’s PSG,” forward Maxime Zahil, who played against Mbappe when he was a youngster, told Reuters TV on Tuesday.
“We’re not going to change our habits, it’s not in three weeks that we can become Ligue 1 players, so there’s no point in trying to change anything, we’ll keep that mindset.
“We’re a group of friends, we cried last night, we had never hugged and kissed each other that much. We’ll give everything we have together.”
Revel sporting director Cedric Garcia was also staying grounded ahead of the Jan. 7 clash with Luis Enrique’s squad and said the team would go about their preparations as usual.
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“Let’s not forget that we are amateurs, the boys and staff get up to go to work every morning, we have two trainings a week and a game at the weekend,” Garcia said.
“We have our ambitions, but we are a family club where we manage to both meet the requirements of performing on a regional level and in amateur football.”
Toulouse stadium and the home of nearby rugby union side Castres are among the options being considered to host the game against the French giants.
Information from Reuters was used in this story.
