Maurice Cohen appeared on the ‘Ici Azur’ and ‘BFM Côte d’Azur’ programmes on Monday. Here are some highlights from the President’s two press appearances.

AFTER LE MANS

“Many of the players on the pitch were here last year. They’ve been affected by that difficult period. That’s why we need to bring back a sense of optimism. That’s my idea, and that’s what I’m going to instil in the players this week. To be optimistic, to be ambitious. Because there’s no reason not to be.

I think we’ve got a good squad, we’ve had a good transfer window. We just need everything to click into place and for everyone to reach a good level of fitness so that we can play and find our form. And I hope we’ll get there very soon, particularly for the next match at Auxerre. I think that in the next few days, or at least fairly soon, everyone will be at the right level and we’ll have a competitive team.”

THE AMBITIONS

After discussing European football on the Ici Azur programme at midday, Maurice Cohen was invited by the Kop Aiglons team to expand on his thoughts that evening. "Personally, I want to remain stubbornly optimistic and ambitious. I’m fed up with looking back. I want us to look ahead, as high as possible. Now, I’m not saying we’re going to qualify for the Champions League. But I am saying we need to aim as high as possible. And today, seventh place could mean European football and is within our reach. It’s ambitious. I want to be ambitious because I’m fed up with looking back. I want the players to feel the same way too.”

 

ANTOINE MENDY’S INJURY

Another recent topic discussed was Antoine Mendy’s cruciate ligament injury. “When you watch it in slow motion, you can see that the impact was quite severe,” the President said. “He was caught, he was a bit off balance. He was fired up so he carried on, but as soon as the match ended, we suspected it was the cruciate ligaments. It was confirmed by the scans. Our thoughts are with Antoine and we’ll have to cope without him. We’re tough, we’re mentally strong, and so are the players. Laurent told Antoine: ‘We’ll be in this together, we’ll stay strong so he can come back as soon as possible.’”

“We’ll see, we’re not panicking. We’ve still got a squad,” the President also said, referring to a possible defensive 'joker'. “We’ve already got our defence in place. We’re not rushing into anything. We’ll see what’s possible. We’re relaxed, we’re not panicking. We’re staying calm and composed. Ben Idder is on his way. He’s part of the potential squad. We’ll see about the rest.”

INEOS’ SUPPORT

Finally, Maurice Cohen spoke about INEOS’s invaluable support this summer: “INEOS owns the club. Everyone knows that they wanted to sell. There were people interested in buying. For now, they’re still here. They’re involved. They’re honouring their commitments. They’ve helped us a lot, and it hasn’t been easy. OGC Nice is a club that has lost a lot of money. They’re here, and they respect the work we’ve done. If there are new owners, it means there will be new ambitions. For now, we’re very happy to have INEOS with us. We know we’ve passed the DNCG audit without any issues, despite a few complications. So, we’re happy with our owners, the INEOS Group.”

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