FEATURE | Demba Ba and Dunkerque daring to dream against PSG ahead of historic Coupe de France semi-final | OneFootball

l’Union Sportive de Littoral de Dunkerque. It’s far from a household name in French football, but the club’s upwards trajectory from the semi-pro lower leagues to fighting for promotion to Ligue 1 and reaching a historic Coupe de France semi-final gives hope to many aspiring sides in the French football pyramid.

It’s a resurgence that is being masterminded by a familiar face off the pitch in former Chelsea and Newcastle striker Demba Ba, who has turned his hand effectively to a sporting director role at the club since it was bought by Turkish group Amissos back in 2023.

USLD’s historic record in French football comprises 30 years of existence in the second division, before falling on hard times at the turn of the 21st century – dropping as low as the fifth tier. Yet now the Seasiders are gearing up for one of the biggest matches in their history: a Coupe de France semi-final clash against the all-conquering Paris Saint-Germain. After knocking out two Champions League participants in Lille and Stade Brestois, Dunkerque are hoping for a giant-killing on Tuesday evening at Lille’s Stade Pierre-Mauroy.

“According to our calculations, we actually have a better chance of eliminating PSG than winning the EuroMillions,” joked veteran striker Gaëtan Courtet to L’Équipe on Sunday during the pre-match press conference. It will be the second time that Dunkerque has reached the semi-final of the Coupe de France, with the first coming 85 years ago back in 1929.

The 2024-2025 season has been a significant one for Ba and 44-year-old Portuguese manager Luis Castro, who previously managed PSG’s João Neves and Gonçalo Ramos in the Benfica U19 set-up. With a budget of just over €10m – far behind Ligue 2’s big spenders in Paris FC (€23m) and Lorient (€20m), Les Maritimes have been engaged in a surprise race for promotion this season in the second tier.

“The first thing is to analyse the environment in which we are, the demands of that environment, and try to set up a project that corresponds to the city and the objectives we want to set ourselves,” said Demba Ba in an interview with RMC Sport on his sporting project on the Northern French coast. “local people must be able to recognise themselves in this team, this club, in terms of values and in what we give every day on the field.”

The appointment of Castro was a risk to say the least in 2023, after sacking Mathieu Chabert, the manager who got USLD promoted back up to Ligue 2 just the season before. “You could see it as a risk, but as long as the calculation is done properly,” said Ba, who also put in place goalkeeping expert Christophe Lollichon, who spent 15 years at Chelsea coaching the likes of Petr Čech.

From there the Portuguese tactician has been implementing an entertaining and expansive brand of football with a blend of veterans and young talent. This youthfulness is ever-present in midfield, with well-built Lille loanee Ugo Raghouber (21) anchoring behind two of the team’s top scorers and midfielders: Finnish Toulouse loanee Naatan Skyttä (22) and promising Frenchman Enzo Bardeli (23). It’s finally mixed with the experienced heads up front in Gaëtan Courtet (36) and the versatile Yacine Bammou (33).Yet a battle on two fronts has been costly for Dunkerque, who can still in theory clinch a Cup/promotion double despite a recent dip in form in Ligue 2 which has seen USLD drop down to fourth “I would really love a promotion to Ligue 1. Am I obsessed? Maybe not totally. But with seven games to go in our situation you can’t think ‘Oh well let’s give up’ – that’s anti football,” said Ba on the prospect of promotion to Ligue 1. Yet the focus is very much on the match against the Ligue 1 title holders. “With PSG you’re stepping into the ring against a heavyweight, you’re a featherweight and you’re going to do everything you can to come out alive and try to win.”

It’s a decisive week for Dunkerque’s fairytale season, which still has potential to turn into a legendary chapter of French football. Luis Castro and his Seasiders will be daring to dream of beating those EuroMillions odds on Tuesday evening – and give hope to many clubs in the lower league pyramid of doing the same one day.GFFN | George Boxall