Lorient-Paris FC, it’s a clash between the second and the first in Ligue 2. But it’s also a duel between one of the most experienced French coaches, Olivier Pantaloni (552 championship matches managed including 76 in the Ligue 1) and another who is rising, Stéphane Gilli (54 L2 matches). Returning in June 2023 to Paris FC where he had been assistant (2018-2020), Gilli (50 years old) took on the number 1 costume for the first time after assisting Bernard Boissier, Jean Tigana, René Girard, Vahid Halilhodzic and above all Mecha Bazdarevic for 17 years.
In 18 months, he brought serenity to a locker room cracked by the last season with Thierry Laurey, while establishing an ambitious game plan on the field. “I had to sign elsewhere but I stayed at Paris FC because he was coming back,” underlines Armand Sène, one of his assistants who has known him for more than 25 years. I pushed him to complete his diplomas because I had no doubt in his abilities to manage a high-level team. »