Just five days after losing the cup final against PSG, Stade Reims has been relegated. Seven eventful years in Ligue 1 come to an end – which also has to do with a momentous transfer decision.
Joy and sorrow are often very close together in football – this has become particularly clear in France in recent days. Stade Reims, the traditional club from Champagne, experienced an emotional up and down in a short period of time.
For the first time in 48 years, the club competed in the final of the Coupe de France – an extraordinary opportunity after decades of failure, accordingly great was the anticipation. But record winner Paris Saint-Germain lived up to its role as favorite and gave Reims not the slightest chance in the 3-0. The title dreams were gone. Just five days later, on Ascension Day, followed the next, much more serious setback.
Stade Reims relegated to Ligue 2 a few days after losing the cup final
The fateful relegation second leg against FC Metz developed into an absolute thriller. After extra time, Metz finally triumphed with 3:1 – for Reims, only relegation to Ligue 2 remained.
Particularly bitter: Only on the last matchday of Ligue 1, Le Havre had sent Reims to relegation in the parallel game with a penalty goal in the ninth minute of added time.
Now there is not even the consolation of staying up for the lost cup final. The renowned L’Équipe spoke of a “cruel scenario.” Coach Samba Diawara, who only took office in February, even stayed away from the obligatory press conference.
Without Pro License: Trainer-Newcomer überzeugt
With the relegation ends for Reims a seven-year interlude in Ligue 1, which was characterized by a coach’s fairytale. In October 2022, Reims had shown courage and made 30-year-old Will Still the youngest coach in all European top 5 leagues.
Previously, Still had worked as an assistant coach in Belgium and had come to Champagne for the 2022/23 season as an assistant to Oscar Garcia. After a sobering start to the season, Garcia was released from his post early and Still took over Reims on an interim basis.
Although he did not yet have the necessary UEFA Pro license at the time, the coach with the striking red hair was able to prove himself directly. After five games in a row without defeat, the Belgian was hired as head coach. Reims even accepted the penalty of around 25,000 euros per game, which was due due to the missing license.
Curious were not only the circumstances of his hiring, but also how Still found his passion for the coaching job: At the age of 17, the PC game “Football Manager” convinced him to focus on the activity on the sidelines.
In sporting terms, Reims’ confidence paid off: Still’s unbeaten run in the league lasted 18 games, Reims finished the 2022/23 season in a secured midfield in eleventh place.
In May 2024, however, the amicable separation followed and thus the premature end of this special story. At that time, the targeted international places slowly came out of reach.
A year later, this situation seems like a luxury problem. With the relegation, Reims is very far away from international football.
The main problem in the current season was the weakness in front of the generic goal. With 33 goals from 34 games, Reims had the third worst offensive in the league. Defensively, however, the club moved in the midfield.
In addition, Reims had made a momentous decision in the winter: The two leading figures, defender Emmanuel Agbadou and midfielder Marshall Munetsi, were sold to Wolverhampton for 20 million euros each. Although the transfers flushed money into the coffers, they significantly weakened the team in sporting terms.
The fans have long been critical of the management due to questionable decisions.
In the meantime, it has been more than half a century since Reims was the measure of all things in French football. Between 1949 and 1962, the club celebrated six championships, two cup victories and reached the final of the European Cup of Champions twice.
But after a sporting and financial decline, the club had to be re-established in 1992 – and fight its way back to the top from the sixth division.
In 2012, after 33 years, Reims had finally ended its absence from Ligue 1. The return should not take that long this time.