The Coupe de France Was Borrowed

OTD E0281 — 08 Aug 1979: The Coupe de France trophy disappears from FC Nantes’ new La Jonelière training centre, less than two months after Nantes won it for the first time. This episode traces the Coupe de France as the people’s cup, Nantes’ rise through José Arribas, Jean Vincent’s 1979 side, Éric Pécout’s hat-trick against Auxerre, Henri Michel lifting the trophy, and then the strange “borrowed” cup story: CFDT steelworkers from Longwy taking the trophy to draw attention to factory closures, displaying it in Lorraine, returning it with apology plates, and leaving French football with one of its strangest pieces of folklore.Ideas: [email protected]