Haim Korsia did not plan to ask God to suggest that he send PSG to heaven this Sunday evening. “I'm not praying for that. We leave faith for more important things. But hope is already that! He smiles. And the chief rabbi of France, 57 years old in a month, very much hopes for an exploit of the men of Tuchel. "A victory, that would be great for the morale of the French, we currently need signals of success in France," he insists.
In his eyes, this match goes far beyond the borders of the capital and the purely sporting issue. "If Paris wins, apart from Marseille, all of France will celebrate," he predicts. A party that he would like between four walls, at home, in these times of pandemic. "We have to push people to stay at home so as not to see new clusters appear," he warns.
He will therefore be in his living room in Paris, glued to the TV, to vibrate in front of the “Mbappé-Neymar duo who tries things constantly”. "But today I also like the unity of the team with stars who put themselves at the service of the collective", he relishes.
This native of Lyon who grew up in the Paris region would have preferred a PSG-OL final. “But there, against Munich, it will be the revenge of 1976 when Saint-Etienne was beaten by Bayern. I still have not digested this defeat ", loose the one who, at the time, was 13 years old.
There have "always been atypical players"
If he has been so charmed by Paris-Saint-Germain for decades, it is because there have "always been atypical players". His historical darling is Luis Fernandez, "the player then the coach". “He embodied the spirit, the soul of the club, through a form of commitment and effort,” he says.
His memories at the Parc des Princes are sometimes unexpected. “I remember a remarkable look from Michaël Madar during Vincent Guérin's jubilee in 2003,” he explains. The spokesperson for the Jewish community welcomes the fact that PSG has "cleaned up" in recent years in the stands to put an end to racist and anti-Semitic slippages. “The club has gained in humanity. We come as a family to the stadium, there is a mix, supporters of all faiths, all origins… ”he applauds.
