Around Europe: Excelsior a proud example of Reunion football and its place in Coupe de France

Several busloads of away fans are expected from Paris. There will be further migration north for the day to Lille by train. This is a big occasion that will not have passed unremarked by almost all of the 100,000-plus people from the island of Reunion who live in mainland France. For their sporting ambassadors, it has been a very big journey indeed to reach this stage of the Coupe de France. The country’s main domestic knockout cup reaches the round of 32 this weekend, the phase when the top-flight clubs of Ligue 1 enter. And the task of Lille, the 2011 French champions, is to see off, without too many moments of embarrassment, the most fascinating of underdogs. Their opponents, semi-professional Excelsior, come from a long way down the football pyramid, and not from the other side of the country, but the other side of the globe. The French Cup, marking its centenary year, is unique in that respect. Read more: ■ Diego Forlan column: Jose Mourinho in process of returning Manchester United to good old days ■ FA Cup: Wembley has not been kind to Tottenham but a trip to the FA Cup final would be welcomed ■ Copa del Rey: Barcelona 'deserved to draw based on everything we created', insists Luis Enrique It invites clubs from France’s overseas territories to participate, which means on its autumn starting-blocks there are always representatives from the Caribbean islands that are still governed from Paris, and teams from as far away as Polynesia. That is a costly commitment for the French Football Federation and the Cup’s sponsors, flying these low-budget teams from southern hemisphere to north, but it is a proud tradition. Usually, the need for block-booked long-haul tickets have ceased by the new year, the far-off minnows duly eliminated. But Excelsior, this season’s outstanding exotics, have hurdled obstacles. They are based in Saint-Joseph, on the south of the volcanic island deep in the Indian Ocean, and had come through tough ties against sturdy clubs from France. They held their nerve through successive penalty shoot-outs to progress against Avoine, of the French fifth division, and Mulhouse, of the fourth tier. “You have shown yourselves to be tough, and talented,” the president of the French Federation, Noel le Graet, told the Excelsior players at a reception on Thursday, as they prepared for the Lille game. “You should be very proud of Reunion football.” Reunion football has been especially proud of itself lately, and France has been happy to have the island under its umbrella. Last June and July, the national team and the French public took to its heart Excelsior’s most famous former player, the Reunionnais Dmitri Payet, as he brightened up France’s progress through the early stages of their own Euro 2016. Payet, who after leaving the island in his teens to pursue his career went on to play for Lille, hopes to be at the 50,000-capacity Stade Pierre-Mauroy on Saturday afternoon to watch. Excelsior, meanwhile, hope Gael Payet — Payet is a very common surname in Reunion — has recovered fitness in time to take his place in their defence. There are no illusions about the status of the so-called “Tangos”, who play in orange jerseys, as rank outsiders against Lille, currently 12th in Ligue 1, but their manager Bernard Mahmoud believes his players have no need to feel daunted. Mahmoud has his own recollections of such occasions. He played for the Reunion club Saint-Louisienne when they hosted Cannes, then of Ligue 1, in the Coupe de France in 1994. Cannes had a young Patrick Vieira in midfield and won by a respectful 2-0. And the Coupe de France has a certain enduring magic for underdogs that many knockout Cups in other major European football nations have lost a little. In this century alone, fourth-division Calais and third-tier Quevilly both reached the final. Two years ago, Ligue 2’s Auxerre faced Paris Saint-Germain and lost by a single goal. The islanders of Reunion will not think that far ahead. But they may be quietly cheered by the fact that Lille have lost five senior players to Africa Cup of Nations duty and another six to injury or suspension, are under an interim manager Patrick Collot and the boardroom is in a state of upheaval, with a change ownership under way. Excelsior only hope temperatures will not be too hostile. Reunion, famed for its beaches, is in high summer right now. Lille, on France’s northern tip, is wintry. PLAYER OF THE WEEK — Alexandre Pato, Villarreal This time last year, Pato was at a crossroads. At 26 years old, he was in search of new horizons, desperate to recover lost time, time that had ebbed since he was considered one of the hottest young strikers in the world, the bright hope of AC Milan and Brazil. So he joined Chelsea, and made little impression. Now, though, things are looking up. Itchy feet It looks unlikely Pato will be moving from his latest place of employment, Spain’s Villarreal, in this January transfer window. That means the striker has at last found some welcome stability. In three of the last four January markets, Pato has switched clubs — from Milan to Corinthians of Brazil in 2013; on to Sao Paulo the following year; and from Sao Paulo to Stamford Bridge 12 months ago. London stalling The Chelsea transfer, a loan from the Corinthians who still had Pato under contract at that stage, was not a success. Though he did score a goal on his Premier League debut, against Aston Villa, that was nearly three months after he arrived and immediately struggled with injury. He played only two matches for Chelsea, and the English club did not pursue their option to sign him long-term. Downward slide It looked gloomy — as if the pizzazz Pato had as a prodigious, pacey teenager, signed by then European champions AC Milan when was 18, had faded, eroded by repeated problems with injury. The fear was that he had burned out. But Villarreal last summer took a punt on him and many of his performances have been promising. He finished off 2016 with goals in successive matches. Key role He had begun well in Spain, with a goal on his debut in the Uefa Champions League play-off against Monaco, though it was in a losing cause. Villarreal, losing centre-forward Roberto Soldado to a long-term injury early in the season, needed him, too, and will this month rely even more on Pato leading the line while fellow striker Cedric Bakambu is at the Africa Cup of Nations with DR Congo. Barcelona blitz Up first with the resumption of the Primera Liga calendar after the mid-season break is Sunday’s fixture against champions Barcelona at home. Five seasons ago, Pato scored a memorable goal against Barca for AC Milan, 24 seconds into a Champions League game, a solo effort at Camp Nou that whizzed him past several challenges — pure, vintage Pato, all speed, composure and ease on the ball. Villarreal hope they will glimpse those skills regularly in 2017. Follow us on Twitter @NatSportUAE Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/TheNationalSport

Around Europe: Excelsior a proud example of Reunion football and its place in Coupe de France

Ian Hawkey looks at the uniqueness of the Coupe de France – a competition that includes French territories from far and wide.