The FUN coach since July 2023, Farid Diaf, 53, says he is satisfied with the attitude of his team, while regretting that they do not convert enough of the chances they create. This Sunday at 3 p.m. on the annex ground of the Parc des Sports, Narbonne hosts Frontignan for the 5th day of the Regional 1 championship.
How do you feel about the start of the FUN season?
We are disappointed with our two fatal defeats at Vauvert (2-0) and Saint-Clément (3-1)… Results but really not the behavior of our players.
The goal of the season?
Maintenance. Win the promotion as early as possible in the season in this very tough division, in this difficult group with four more games than last year.
Are you trying to instill a style into this team?
Of course yes. It is often said that a team is like its leaders. This is exactly what we want. My assistant Alexandre Chotin, the sports director Sofian Halmouti, the president Moustapha Bouzbiba and I are competitors and we are happy with our team. We want to see warriors on the pitch, warriors who play attack and score goals. We want passionate guys. And that’s what they are.
Our players are warriors who take the ball and play offense
What FUN seems to be missing at the moment is realism…
Completely. We attack, we create a lot of chances, but sometimes we miss that goal. Like in the French Cup against Beaucaire (National 3) when we lose 1-0 (Editor’s note, defeat in the 5th round). We lost while having a lot of scoring opportunities. And at Saint-Clément where we lost 3-1, it’s worse! It was really annoying there. They hit three times on goal and scored three times and we only scored one even though we had incredible chances! But hey, our players are warriors who take the ball and play offense. Because we want to please our members, our licensees, our supporters, the spectators…
Satisfied with the recruits?
Absolutely, our four recruits are starters. There are our two new attackers Ilyes Ben Azzouz, Alassane Niang, our central defender Zachary Rosa and our midfielder Houcine Rabhi.
Confident for the future?
If we continue to work like this in training, to give ourselves like this, I don’t worry. The goals will arrive. Already, we scored eight against Lézignan in the Occitanie Cup last week (8-0). Against a D1 team of course, but eight goals nonetheless. A lot of players scored, it’s good for confidence. We had some very good phases. We are happy with the players’ investment. They work hard.
You also have this reputation as a coach who is quite tough with his players…
It’s certain, I’m not giving gifts.
The goal this Sunday against Frontignan at home?
It’s clear, the victory, the three points.
What about your relationships with other club leaders?
Alexandre Chotin, for me, is much more than an assistant. He is a coach in his own right. He was a defender and he deals more particularly with the defensive aspect. He is a pillar of FUN, a reference of FU Narbonne. Sofian Halmouti, our sporting director, was a very good midfielder. He is very respected. Concerning Moustapha Bouzbiba, he is the best president. And I’m not saying that to throw flowers at him. But you ask me the question… And tomorrow, if I’m no longer at the club, he’ll still be a friend. We look a lot alike. We both raise our voices… Mous is a very rare person, very honest, very knowledgeable about football.
