No doctors, no money, and a decrepit pitch: a sorry state of affairs at Nîmes Olympique

Nîmes Olympique are winless since the start of the National season. Whilst the third-tier French side aren’t having much success on the pitch (three draws, one loss), affairs off it are a whole lot worse. 

An exposé from Objectif Gard has revealed the level of dereliction and destitution at the National club. The club are in a difficult financial situation, and it is being felt at every level of the club. Without a doctor, Objectif Gard has detailed instances where players carrying niggles are unsure as to whether to train, however, there is no doctor to advise. One player reportedly asked a member of staff whether he should train despite a heel injury, which was met with the response: “I’m not a doctor.” The player in question did ultimately partake in the session. 

The club’s facilities are also in a sorry state. The main training pitch is completely unusable, whilst their backup pitch is also in a less-than-optimal condition. Nîmes, however, aren’t permitted to use the pitch at the Stade des Antonins the day before the match, in order to preserve the turf. 

Staff members staying in B&Bs

The dressing rooms are also in a deplorable unfit state with a mould issue from last season yet to be resolved, whilst wires still dangle perilously from the ceiling. Frédéric Bompard, who arrived as manager last December, asked for more funds at the end of last season, but those pleas have not only fallen on deaf ears, the situation, if anything, looks to have worsened.

“I have seen players sleeping in their car,” reveals a source close to the club, who has detailed the reduced functioning of a club desperately short on means. Buses taking the players from the training centre to the stadium are no longer running, whilst the situation is even more challenging on away days. 

Rather than staying in a hotel, as is the norm for professional football teams, staff members have reportedly had to stay in B&Bs on away trips. Despite the difficulties, the players’ attitudes are “beyond reproach,” according to manager Bompard. But there is no denying that the current situation at the club is troubling. 

“I want a club that survives without its shareholders, that lives off its own revenues,” said club president Rani Assaf back in May 2022. Nîmes are currently a long way off making that dream a reality. 

GFFN | Luke Entwistle