First, a little presentation of your group, the Celtic Ultras …
“At the time of Brest Armorique, the group was called the Celtic Angels. It was a story of friends who lived the foot of Brest through this association. Then dormant for many years, it was recreated in 2000 with the return of Brest to National. There was a brief merger with the Brest Ultras, before the group took the name Celtic Ultras and then moved to the bottom of the Foucauld stand. But as this generated noise and visibility problems with the public, he returned to the Quimper route in 2006. Today, there are around 200 of us and we are not part of the club: we want to be totally independent from it. “.
What is your philosophy?
“Support Brest throughout France! We are proud of our city, of our club, of our group, and we like to bring the visual and the Red and White in our stand. We do a lot of entertainment, looking for originality and good humor. We are chauvinists! “.
We are chauvinists!
Twenty years, what does that represent for you?
“A culmination and pride! The group has gone through a lot of hardships and today, we are in an ascending phase, also thanks to being in Ligue 1.. We were still 25 to go to Strasbourg at the end of August and three of us have decided to make all the trips this season, no matter what. A trip is not only for the club, it is also the pleasure of leaving with friends, of living great moments and of being, in a way, the ambassadors of our club and our city! “.
How are you going to celebrate your 20th birthday?
“There will be several festivities with a tifo that will be unheard of in Brest! It will be very spectacular and this preparation has taken us several months. We’ve been there non-stop for the past four weeks! Hopefully the weather will be good, as it will play an important role in terms of organization on Sunday. This animation will cost us between 4,000 and 5,000 € which we finance 100% with membership cards, derivative products and various events that we organize. We invite the Brest public to enter the stadium early to be able to enjoy all of our festivities and we would also like the Ty Zefs from each stand to go to Francis in red. Chiché? “.
Any special memories from the past 20 years?
“Oulala, there are so many! We can mention the ten years of the group, in 2011, with, as a result, our first big animation. There is also the club’s 70th anniversary tifo: we covered the Arkea stand with a 120 m long tarpaulin. Without forgetting, of course, the rise of 2019: after these years of galley in L2, it was madness! After the match, we had multiplied the slips and rolls on the lawn, we were so happy! “.
Comment do you see the group’s 30th anniversary in 2031?
“In a new stadium, already, with a club well established in Ligue 1. For the group, that it continues to progress! We are confident because the next generation is already here! I hope he will keep this same mentality, without taking himself seriously ”.
What does Stade Brestois represent in your daily life?
” A way of life. We get up in the morning and think about the club, the group: we think about activities, organizations, travel. The choice that bothers us is the game schedule, Sunday at 3 p.m. We really like amateur football and there, we really cannot support it while many of us understand or support it! The ideal schedule is Saturday at 7 or 8 p.m. … but it’s the Ligue 2 schedule! “.
And the Francis-Le Blé stadium, do you like it?
“It is atypical, in the English way. It is a city-center stadium, like you can see nowhere else: it is the last old stadium in Ligue 1! For us, it is loaded with so many memories. We want a new stadium, but we will need consultation with the supporters because we want to be actors there as well. But, all this seems very opaque to us ”.
And this Sunday Brest-Monaco?
“It will be the first victory of the season! It’s a turning point because otherwise, we will find ourselves dropped in the standings. Hérelle’s return is doing us good and soon Lasne will also come back and bring his experience. We like the fact that the club was able to gain respect vis-à-vis Faivre at the end of August: it was a strong message to the group. The game is progressing and we owe it to ourselves to start the season: for us, our 20th birthday party would be even more beautiful! “.
A prognosis, Victor?
“2-1 for Brest. We will stress but the victory will be at the end! “.
A message to pass?
“Pen Huel, head held high! And, a hello to Sébastien Coat, our former president. Despite the distance, he still has weight in the group. May the history of this group continue for a long time and we meet for the 30 years! “.
Practice
Stade Brestois vs AS Monaco, on behalf of the twelfth day of the Ligue 1 football championship, Sunday, October 31, at the Francis-Le Blé stadium, in Brest. Kick-off at 5 p.m.