September 10, 2025
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Zapping Foot National Coupe de France: Calais, Quevilly, El-Biar, … the greatest exploits of the competition

He could have been one of the heroes. He was one of the absent. The Reims stadium completed its 2024-2025 season without Teddy Teuma, dismissed in April despite his role as captain at the start of the season and a goal in the French Cup semi-finals. The 31-year-old Toulonnais, International Maltese (45 selections), did not take part in the final sprint, nor in the lost final against PSG (0-3), nor in the fatal dams against Metz. And for good reason, the Champagne club simply did not want him anymore. In an interview with Var-Matinhe breaks the silence without detour, evoking an misunderstood sidelining, an uncertain future, but also an atypical life course, started as a driver-bookman, extended in the lower divisions, then sublimated in Belgium with the Saint-Gilloise Union. Far from the standards of modern football, Teuma continues to advance against the tide, with calm and pride. “They looked for a scapegoat compared to the poor results of the team, and it came across me,” he said about Reims.

A seasoned season, a brutal outing

While his first Rémois exercise ended in express integration and important responsibilities, the following season changed in misunderstanding. Teuma has not played since April 2. Cruel irony: it was he who sent Reims to the French Cup final that evening, against Cannes. “The club no longer really had to end the season. So I asked to be released earlier in order to focus on my matches with Malta.” The rest? A sidelines, a contained frustration and the impression of a certain relentlessness. “They estimated that I was not going to be of great use (facing Metz and in the final). It was a choice of the coach and management, I accepted it, but it is very frustrating (…) I remained respectful and straight in my boots. It is the first time that it has happened to me in ten years of professionalism.”

Difficult not to think of what he could have brought in the battle for maintenance. “I think it … But not them. I would have preferred to finish the season, but we will not be able to put me on my back the relegation and the defeat in the final.” While Reims could be drafted in Ligue 1 after the administrative demotion of Lyon, Teuma looks at his future with caution. Officially, he is still under contract. “It will depend on the club. With what I have experienced, it is difficult for me to imagine a future in Reims. Return to Ligue 2 would be a step back (…) If I have no other choice, I will prepare to resume training with Reims.” In the absence of a club in club, Teuma found the red jersey … from Malta. A selection that he had never imagined to join before his origins were revealed to him by the Federation. “When I was offered to play with the selection, I accepted with great apprehension … It is finally one of the best choices of my career”.