"They looked for a scapegoat and it fell on me!" Teddy Teuma looks back on the end of his season with Reims

Teddy Teuma hasn't been playing well this season with Stade de Reims (Ligue 1). So much so that the 31-year-old Toulon native played his last 2024-25 match in red and white on April 2, in the semi-final of the Coupe de France in Cannes (2-1)... where he scored the goal that qualified Reims. He was then sidelined well before the final and the play-off that led to the Champagne club's relegation to Ligue 2.

A "demotion" also for a midfielder who until now was used to climbing the divisions one by one: CFA (Hyères), National (Boulogne-sur-Mer then Red Star), L2 (Red Star), second then first Belgian division but also Champions League and Europa League with Union Saint-Gilloise and therefore L1 with Stade de Reims since 2023. Without forgetting the national selection with Malta (45 caps, 4 goals), country of origin of one of his grandfathers.

"Given my situation with the club, I can't talk too much" : Teddy Teuma nevertheless agreed to answer our questions.

Your season with Stade de Reims ended particularly badly...

The club was no longer really counting on me to finish the season. So, I asked to be released early in order to concentrate on my World Cup qualifying matches with Malta (0-0 against Lithuania on June 7, 0-8 in the Netherlands on June 10) .

How could your relationship deteriorate so badly after a successful first season and when you had been promoted to captain at the start of the season?

I don't really know... They were looking for a scapegoat for the team's poor results and it fell on me...

Couldn't you have been an asset to Reims in their fight for survival, which they ultimately lost in the play-off against Metz?

I think so... but not them, unfortunately. They felt I wasn't going to be of much use to the team's needs.

How did you experience this sidelining when there was a challenge to take on and also a Coupe de France final to play?

It was very frustrating. It was a decision made by the coach and the club's management, and I had no choice but to accept. But I remained both respectful and firm in my position. And I'm trying to put it into perspective: it's the first time this has happened to me in ten years of professionalism.

Don't you feel a sense of waste?

I don't feel any feelings. It's not my choice, it's theirs. And I don't think they regret it. That's football... I would have preferred to finish the season but they can't blame me for the relegation and the defeat in the Coupe de France final (0-3 against PSG) .

Did you take advantage of this early end of the season to return to the Var?

Yes, I have all my family in the Var and I came to visit them: it allowed me to take my mind off things and recharge my batteries before my matches with Malta.

How does your future look like ⁽¹⁾ ?

I'm still under contract with Stade de Reims. It will depend on what the club wants, but with what I've been through, it's hard for me to imagine a future at Reims. Especially since returning to Ligue 2 would be a step backward... In all honesty, I must admit that I have a few ideas, but nothing concrete. So, if I have no other choice, I'll prepare to resume training and start the next season with Reims.

You will be 32 years old on September 30: how many more professional years do you give yourself?

I hope to be able to play at the highest level for three or four more years. And why not abroad? I'm not closing any doors. But I feel good in Ligue 1 and my priority is to stay there.

Are you planning to return to the Var to finish your career where it began?

Why not? Returning to Hyères might be an option. Why not end up in Malta, too? But I hope that's still a long way off!

Are you already thinking about your career change?

Of course. When you're over thirty in football, it's automatic to think about what's next. I could see myself getting my coaching diploma, and why not in the South? I want to stay in football.

You have become a full-fledged member of the Malta team: how is this adventure going in a country you didn't know?

It's exceptional! A door has opened, and I don't regret taking advantage of it: being international is a superb experience.

Along with the "Hungarian" Loïc Nego and the "Polish" Ludovic Obraniak, you were the subject of a documentary by L'Equipe explore, Adopte un joueur , dedicated to players who became internationals from countries they didn't know...

I wasn't aware of my Maltese origins through one of my grandfathers. When I was told about it and offered to play for the national team, I accepted but with a lot of apprehension: I didn't know how I would be accepted when I had never been to Malta. In the end, it was one of the best choices of my career!

What are your goals with the Maltese national team?

We have very little chance of qualifying for a major competition, so the goal is very simple: to move up in the FIFA rankings because we deserve better than ^172nd place. And we'd like to move up to Group C of the Nations League.

1. This interview was conducted before Karel Geraerts' arrival as coach at Reims and Lyon's administrative relegation to L2.