What a return to the fore!
Four years after his ouster from the post of president of Olympique de Marseille, Vincent Labrune (49) returns through the front door by being elected, this Thursday, president of the Professional Football League (LFP).
It is the victory of a man of networks who started in the media in the 1990s. This son of a bourgeois family from Orléans was then recruited in 1994 by France Télévisions.
He is the press officer for Patrick Chêne's 1pm news.
“He did a great job for me, he was a very good press officer,” recalls Chêne.
When I took charge of sports, I took him with me and maybe it all played out there… (
laughs
).
He is a rare person, because Vincent adds a good number of qualities.
He's a little offbeat, but he's not a freak.
"
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Jean-Luc Delarue then recruited him in 2000 as communications director for his production company Reservoir Prod.
Thanks to his boss and through Louis Acariès, he met Robert Louis-Dreyfus in 2003.
The two men share a common passion: boxing.
Current immediately passes between them.
Labrune sees him as his mentor.
RLD appointed him in 2008 president of its holding company Eric Soccer, parent company of SASP OM and also president of the supervisory board of the Marseille club.
Advisor and spokesperson for the Swiss businessman, Labrune ends up managing all of OM's affairs.
"I hope it will not harm the interests of French football too much"
When RLD died in 2009, his widow Margarita took over the functions of her late husband and increased her confidence in Vincent Labrune even more.
The latter was appointed president of OM in 2011 following the ousting of Jean-Claude Dassier who still had a year of contract with the club and 4 trophies to his credit including a title of champion of France in 2010. “Vincent was a good friend but he couldn't stand my success.
You don't just make friends when you're French champion the first year, and that inevitably arouses some jealousy, says Jean-Claude Dassier.
He soaped my board well.
I tested his human qualities in Marseille and that was enough for me.
I hope it will not harm the interests of French football too much.
"
During his term of office, OM obtained contrasting results with a place of dolphin for PSG in 2013, a League Cup in 2012, but also a zero point (6 defeats) in the group stage of the Champions League 2013-2014.
“He is passionate about football.
He has a perfect knowledge of the players and the teams, judges Elie Baup who was the coach of OM between 2012 and 2013. He has innovative ideas in terms of marketing and image.
He is not an interventionist, but he is in constant exchange.
He often came to training and took time with us outside of games.
"
Quarrels with Aulas
If he has, rather, always understood well with most of his L1 counterparts, relations with Jean-Michel Aulas have always been very fresh since an OM - OL in September 2015 during which the Lyon president had launched to his Marseille counterpart that he was a "puppet".
“In a unifying role he can be very good.
Vincent is not a divisive person, assures Patrick Chêne.
He will defend the interests of professional clubs.
When you go from club to LFP and you're smart, I think there can't be a problem.
He is not a man of small settlements.
He will gain height.
"
Since leaving OM, Vincent Labrune has plunged back into his extra-sporting activities by meeting his friend Eric Hannezo with whom he has a production company in the cinema, Black Dynamite.
In 2018, he joined the executive committee of Moma Group, an events company for which he manages development, image and external relations.
But, he had not given up football during this period since he sat on the board of directors of the LFP as an independent.
This Thursday, he won the leading role by becoming president of the LFP.
"He knows the inner workings of the League perfectly and he has all the qualities to make an excellent boss," concludes Elie Baup.
