LATEST NEWS. Red Stars' popular young goalkeeper Yoann Djidonou, at one stage lnked with a move to second division outfit Guingamp has decided to stay with Red Star FC 93. With Red Star Yoann should be virtually guaranteed first team action, whereas elsewhere he lay have spent his time keeping the subs' bench warm, to the detriment of his international career with Benin. On the subject of this country, yesterday in a match for the next World Cup, Benin were beaten 3-0 by in-form Angola, one of the surprise packages at the last Mondial in Germany two years ago. Yoann kept the Angolans' out with some fine saves until just after the hour mark, when the pressure on his defence proved to be too much and Angola found the net three times before the final whistle. Next Sunday Yoann and his fellow countrymen face Uganda, before taking on Niger on the 14th of June.
Also on the transfer front, we should have a decision later this week from top scorer this season, Taïmmy Negreche. ELSEWHERE Congratulation to coach Fabrice Pamier, who celebrates his second promotion in as many seasons with Red Stars' third XI. Disappointment for the under 15s, going down 1-0 to Entente SSG, whilst the under 13s were on the wrong end of a 6-1 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain, who end the season as champions with a record of having played eighteen and won eighteen. The under 13s coach David Giguet is thus spared the ignominy of two relegations, as he has successfully kept his place in the top flight of Parisian football in his first season at this level with the Under 13s. He told the site recently that although several of his under 13s have been watched by top flight clubs, the majority are in their first season with the under 13s and thus will be eligible to stay in this age category next season before eventually moving on the under 15s the season after.
Yoann Djidonou
FRIENDLIES ANNOUNCED Red Star get preparations for the 2008-2009 season underway from the 1st of July onwards, under new coach François Ciccolini. A series of friendly games have been announced as follows:
Sunday 13th July : PACY-SUR-EURE (National) - RED STAR
Saturday 19th July : ROUEN (CFA) - RED STAR
Saturday 26th July : CRETEIL (National) - RED STAR
Saturday 2nd August : MOISSY-CRAMAYEL (CFA) - RED STAR
Sunday 3rd August : LE BLANC-MESNIL (DH) - RED STAR (for the players not involved in the Moissy-Cramayel game).
Normally the season gets underway on the 9th of August, this is yet to be confirmed
RESERVES GO OUT WITH A WHIMPER The 2007-2008 season will be one to forget for Red Stars' reserves XI, relegated last weekend at home to Bobigny. Yesterday coach David Giguet saw his side slip to a 2-0 defeat at Franconville, the goals coming either side of half-time. Red Star huffed and puffed but had nothing to show for their labours, indeed it might be said that the strikers could have played until midnight and still not have troubled the scoreboard operators. Coach Giguet admitted that some of players just weren't up to the standard of the DSR, the second level of Parisian football, and a high standard of football all the same.
Franconvilles' second, from a free kick
WELL THAT'S VIRTUALLY IT for the season 2007-2008. The site will take a well-deserved rest over the next couple of weeks. So it's service minimum until the end of June. When we get back, we'll be looking forwards to our tenth birthday celebrations - yes, AllezRedStar started out back in August 1998, one of the first in Parisian football. Since then we've moved on considerably, and now we can look back on the season 2007-2008 where we have brought you reports from all first team games this season, photos from all but one (injury prevented us from going to Besançon); we've covered thirty four league games, one Coupe de France game, six Coupe de Paris games; there's also various videos available of games; with the reserves we've run ten photo reportages; the Under 18s we've done five championship games and three cup games; the under 15s and the under 13s have had five photo specials dedicated between them; in addition we've covered the ladies XI, the Futsal team, the under 18s reserves, the Under 12s and Under 11s; various friendly and charity games and also the visits of Steve Marlet and Gérard Dépardieu. Not bad to say that we are only two reporters at the site, and we don't get paid for this !!