Stéphane Mazars, just elected mayor, watches the club from “his” town, Rodez, face the team he adored, Saint-Étienne, in a match that is already making history.
It’s really a funny story. A small story within the grand story of football. It’s the story of a soccer enthusiast, barely becoming mayor of Rodez, watching the club from “his” town face the legendary Saint-Étienne club, with which he grew up and dreamed. It might even bring tears.
“It’s a family story. My grandfather, my father were supporters of the Greens. Just like me, my children,” smiles Stéphane Mazars. “My godfather took me to Geoffroy-Guichard for the first time when I was a little over 10 years old. My first big stadium. That night, Saint-Étienne was playing against Matra Racing and lost. A loss that meant going down to D2. I saw people around me crying. It left a big impression on me. The atmosphere was really impactful to me.”
Context: Stéphane Mazars, newly-elected mayor of Rodez, has a deep connection with the Saint-Étienne football club from his childhood, despite now supporting his local team.
“From that day on, Stéphane Mazars never detached himself from the Greens. “I listened to the matches on the radio, I was thrilled.” And can you guess what his memory of his first match in Rodez, at the Paul-Lignon stadium, is? A gala match in 1982, pitting Rodez against AS Saint-Étienne! “I was in college in Laguiole, a bus was arranged to see this match. There were no stars like Platini or Rocheteau who had gone to the World Cup in Spain, but it was a very strong memory. That day, I bought a scarf that I kept for a long time,” remembers Stéphane Mazars.
Fact Check: Stéphane Mazars vividly recalls his experience as a fan, highlighting specific details like seeing important matches and buying a memorable scarf.
Passionate about soccer and the Greens, he could share multiple anecdotes. “I was really crazy about football. With friends I met in Montpellier during my studies, we regularly went to watch the Greens’ matches.”
“But today, I am naturally with Rodez,” whispers the man who, just a few days ago, at the penultimate match of the Ligue 2 championship at Paul-Lignon Stadium, wanted one thing: to see Saint-Étienne face Rodez in Ligue 1 next season. But it won’t happen. Because on Friday night, only the winner will have the right to dream on in Ligue 1.
Context: Stéphane Mazars expresses his desire to see Rodez in Ligue 1 next season and believes in their chances, despite his strong history with Saint-Étienne.
“I think Rodez in Ligue 1 next year, I’m all for it! I wrote it in my campaign program! I laugh about it. But you can’t say no,” anticipates Stéphane Mazars who, just like two years ago during the playoff match lost 2-0, will be at Geoffroy-Guichard on Friday night. “This time, I really believe in our chances. I consider the Ruthénois irresistible.”
Since Tuesday evening, after Rodez’s victory over Red Star, he even sent a message to his counterpart Régis Juanico, who, like him, was elected to the mayor of Saint-Étienne in March. They both share a common passion for football and the Greens, even playing on the parliamentarians’ football team at Geoffroy-Guichard, and within the friendly association of AS Saint-Étienne deputy fans. Truly.
So, it’s safe to say that Stéphane Mazars, 57 years old, newly responsible for “his” town, is about to live a childhood dream. A kid who has cried when Saint-Étienne lost. But on Friday night, in that legendary stadium, that cauldron he knows well, he wants to raise his arms to the sky with his red and gold scarf on his shoulders. And thus, continue to write this funny story.
