Ligue A Look-In #3: Will GFC Ajaccio Be Ligue A Contenders?

Note: To spread excitement for one of the top professional men’s leagues in the world, VolleyMob will profile each of the 12 teams competing in French Ligue A during the 2017-2018 season. 

ESSENTIAL LINKS

• GFC Ajaccio Team Site
• 2017-2018 GFC Ajaccio Roster
• French Ligue A Site
• 2017-2018 Schedule
• VolleyMob’s 5 Reasons to Follow French Ligue A

STORY LINES

By winning the Coupe de France last March, GFC Ajaccio qualified for Supercoupe de Volley, the first match of the 2017-2018 season to be played on October 7 against last season’s Ligue A champions, Chaumont 52. It will be the first big test for a side that lost to the Chaumont side 3-1 in the semifinals of last season’s championship.

Players to Watch

The core of last year’s team remains, including veteran libero Jean-Francois Exiga, middle Brett Dailey, and receiver/attackers Leonardo Cruz Miranda and Florian LaCassie. Ajaccio also brings in Argentine national team opposite Jose Luis “Pepe” Gonzalez and 32-year-old Serbian middle Dejan Radic, who will be staying in France after playing for AS Cannes the past three seasons.

 Players Arriving

• Jose Luis Gonzalez from Panathinaikos Athens (Greece)
• Dejan Radić from AS Cannes in French Ligue B
• Timothee Carle from AS Cannes in French Ligue B
• Thiebault Bruckert

Players Leaving

• Filip Stoilović to CS Volei Municipal Zalau in Romania
• Giorgios Petreas to Olympiacos Piraeus in Greece
• Nikola Mijailović to Chaumont 52 in French Ligue A
• Tommi Siirilä to Sir Safety Perugia in Italy
• Jovica Simovski (no current club)

3 Must-See Matches

• GFC Ajaccio v. Chaumont VB 52 (Oct. 7, 2017) Supercoupes de Volley features, Chaumont 52, the previous season’s league champ against the winner of last season’s French Cup 
• GFC Ajaccio v. Chaumont VB 52 (Oct. 28, 2017) While the Supercoupe is an entertaining exhibition to start the season, the first regular season tilt between these two sides should prove equally entertaining
• GFC Ajaccio  v. Nantes Rezé Métropole (Nov. 11, 2017) Rematch of the 2017 French Cup which Ajaccio won in straight sets

2017-2018 ROSTER

* Indicates new roster addition

• Leonardo Cruz Miranda, receiver/attacker
• Florian Lacassie, receiver/attacker
• Timothee Carle, receiver/attacker*
• Sylvain Morgado, receiver/attacker
• Ludovic Castard, opposite
• Jose-Luis Gonzalez, opposite*
• Brett Dailey, middle
• Dejan Radic, middle*
• Thiebault Bruckert, middle*
• Toafa Takaniko, setter
• Jean-Francois Exiga, libero
• Daniel Petrov, libero

VIDEO