Jean-Claude Hamel (90), president of AJA from 1963 to 2009, will have lived everything with the Burgundian club. "With Guy Roux, we created AJA," he liked to recall, as he had entrusted to L'Yonne Républicaine . With its president and the famous trainer (but also Gérard Bourgoin and the mayor Jean-Pierre Soisson) the club climbed all the levels towards the elite with the symbolic title of champion of France (1996) and four Cups of France (1994, 1996, 2003 and 2005), after the unforgettable 1979 final lost to FC Nantes after extra time. Without forgetting a quarter-final of the Champions League Cup in 1997 and a half of the UEFA Cup in 1993. An incredible journey.
Jean-Claude Hamel, local notable who ran a large garage specializing in heavy goods vehicles in the Auxerre region, had taken over the presidency of the Iicaun club in 1963 succeeding Jean Garnault, who had hired Guy Roux in 1961 as team coach first then in the honor division.
AJA was his life, AJA was his work.
The homage to our historic President, the homage to Jean-Claude Hamel.https: //t.co/FTk9KMqEv2pic.twitter.com/bXdwDttjiP
With Roux and Hamel, the AJA went up to division 3 then to D2, then the duo became trio when they were joined in 1979 by Gérard Bourgoin, CEO of the company La Chaillotine.
Around these three men, AJ Auxerre experienced its greatest hours with the accession to Division 1 in 1980. The Abbé Deschamps stadium has expanded to support the moulting of a club which has become a staple of the French championship, a rough European competitor. Auxerre even hosted the French team. AJA has also trained and welcomed many internationals under its chairmanship. Auxerre (where he was a player at the end of the 1940s) managed to cross the ages to exist, to shine. Jean-Claude Hamel, the discreet kingpin, had left the presidency of the icaunais club in 2009 while remaining a few years on the board of directors. In 2019, AJ Auxerre inaugurated "the living room of President Hamel", located opposite the office, in which he had chaired for forty-six years.
Another important man in my career passed away today
Thank you for all you have done for me and my family
More precisely my sister and I
I am very sad this evening
https://t.co/4zjbcFZzvy
"AJA, the masterpiece of President Hamel" praised the club website.
A register of condolences will be available to the public on Wednesday at the Abbé Deschamps stadium.
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