MHSC-Angers: “The case is behind us”, the SCO not even destabilized by unpaid salaries ?

Abdelli and Angers are coming off a convincing win against Brest (2-0). MAXPPP – REGINE LEMARCHAND

SCO has had a hectic week, with players' salaries only partially paid. Enough to leave its mark on the match in Montpellier, this Sunday, January 12th?

From one case to another, almost everything brings Angers back to Montpellier. This Sunday, at the end of a hectic week following the revelation of unpaid salaries, the SCO returns to a Hérault where it had not set foot since March 5, 2023 and a difficult day.

That day, in addition to the spanking received (5-0), this trip to La Paillade had also turned out to be disastrous behind the scenes. The fault of the comments made by the coach at the time, Abdel Bouhazama. “It's not mean, we've all touched girls before”, the technician had declared in the locker room to justify the starting position of Ilyes Chetti, accused of sexual assault.

Twenty-two months after the Bouhazama affair

The affair had forced him to resign two days later. And Alexandre Dujeux, then assistant, had been inducted as N.1 of a team that was at the bottom of the table. A position he has not left since, allowing the Angevin club to recover from relegation by immediately coming back up last June.

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Twenty-two months after his promotion, the Angevin coach returns to Montpellier this Sunday. This time, MHSC is in the shoes of the last team while the Anjou team has just signed a convincing victory against Brest (2-0). This result comes in addition to convincing performances away from home (9 points out of 16, success in Monaco, draw in Marseille in particular) thanks to an ability to project with his trio Abdelli-El Melali-Allevinah.

“I didn't feel any players holding back”

Except that the extra-sporting climate is once again not the most serene. This week, Ouest France and L'Équipe revealed that the salaries of the professional squad for the month of December had not been paid. Since then, 30 to 40% of the emoluments have been paid.

But the affair has highlighted the difficulties experienced by the SCO. Shaken like many French clubs by the drop in TV rights, Angers is said to have suffered a shortfall of at least €10 million. Which did not prevent the DNCG from not issuing any sanctions in December. Faced with this crisis, the sulphurous Angevin boss, Saïd Chabane, is said to have taken out a loan via his charcuterie business. And the salaries should be paid at the beginning of next week.

Not ideal for preparing for a match that is also crucial for Anjou. “We trained well. I didn't feel any players holding back, they knew how to put things into perspective. That's part of the mental strength of this group”, Dujeux swept aside on Friday. “We knew very well that the situation could be complicated for the club, that there could be unforeseen events. So it's not a surprise for us”, added his player Carlens Arcus. For which “the matter is behind (them).” A statement to be verified in Montpellier.