A few thousand supporters left in a procession on Friday, October 8 morning, from the Old Port, behind the funeral convoy of Bernard Tapie, to join the Major, the cathedral of Marseille, where the funeral of the ex-man of business and former president of OM.
To read alsoThe editorial of the
Figaro
: "Bernard Tapie, the fury of living"
Death of cancer on Sunday, at the age of 78, at his Parisian home, the former deputy and general councilor of Bouches-du-Rhône and very ephemeral Minister of the City of François Mitterrand chose Marseille, "
his city of heart
" , for his last step, as his wife had revealed in the official press release announcing his death.
"
We bring you home,
" explained Stéphane Tapie, his son, on Instagram on Wednesday.
A man who made an impression
"
It is very important for me to be there, to pay tribute to the one who made Marseille and OM what they are today
", explained Mireille Brechard, 72, in reference to the Champions League - the only one ever won by a French club - won by the Olympians in 1993. "
Bernard Tapie was able to create an atmosphere around football,
" she reminds AFP, walking towards the cathedral Sainte-Marie Majeure in the midst of supporters' chants, some smoke in hand. “
There were the fireworks, the pre-matches, he created the groups of supporters. I also remember the man on the ground who was going to yell in the locker room after a bad half-time,
”she adds.
See also Bernard Tapie: a family united around his wife Dominique
"
And do not talk to me about VA-OM, it is not there for nothing
", asserts the supporter, in allusion to this match bought against Valenciennes, in 1993, which had earned him 165 days in prison: "
It is a politician blow
”.
At the Major, one hour from the start of mass, hundreds of people were waiting in front of the cathedral.
But, whether in the Old Port or near the cathedral, we stayed far from the human tides that invaded the city during the great victories of OM.
“
My sister had pancreatic cancer, she lasted two years and it's thanks to him,
” says Nora Dif, 57, dressed in black.
"
This handsome man, despite everything he could do, he was a great one,
" she adds, preferring also to evacuate the judicial convictions of the one who has also been an actor, singer and media man.
Read alsoAndré Bercoff: "Bernard Tapie, the man who made the French dream"
"
If he had been a guru, he would have had a sect with thousands of followers,
" loose Eric di Meco, one of the players to have won this 1993 Champions League, at the microphone of
La Provence
, the local newspaper , of which the former businessman was the majority shareholder, as part of a special issue with France Bleu Provence.
Bernard Tapie will be buried in the cemetery of Mazargues, a stone's throw from the Vélodrome, the cradle of OM's exploits.
