The Marseille Criminal Court on Wednesday sentenced two former presidents of Gazelec Ajaccio, a Corsican football club briefly spent in Ligue 1, to 6 months in prison and two years in prison, respectively, for a vast system of social fraud.
Christophe Ettori, former professional footballer, sports director then president for three months of the GFCA (a club that fell from Ligue 1 to National 3 in a few years), was sentenced to six months in prison, as well as dismissal for up to one year of a five-year suspended prison sentence handed down in 2018 for criminal association.
He was also ordered to pay a fine of 10,000 euros.
Mathieu Messina, who succeeded him as president of the club, whose liquidation was pronounced on January 30, was sentenced to two years in prison suspended and 20,000 euros fine.
Finance assistant to the mayor of Menton (Alpes-Maritimes), he was also sentenced to three years of ineligibility.
President of the club for 14 years, Olivier Miniconi was initially to be tried in this case.
His case had been adjourned to March 31, for health reasons.
The three men were prosecuted for having concealed bonuses, benefits and mileage allowances granted to 89 players and club employees for 1.1 million euros, over a period from January 1, 2018 to June 30, 2021, a damage estimated by the body collecting social security contributions at around 750,000 euros.
In addition, Christophe Ettori was accused of concealment of misuse of corporate assets committed under the presidency of Mathieu Messina, costed by the prosecution at 31,650 euros: he had a car, a laptop and a working tablet, as well as a rent bonus, when he was no longer an employee of the club.
Recalling in its judgment that it had "not
been seized of embezzlement which could have served a cause or interests linked to serious criminal acts
", the court however castigated the "
amazing
" accounting practices of the club.
“
These are serious facts
”, “
in a context of strong competition but which cannot justify the practices thus adopted
”, further points out the judgment.
On February 8, the prosecutor had requested three years in prison and the revocation of up to one year of his previous five-year suspended prison sentence, against Mr. Ettori.
She also asked for three years in prison, two of which were suspended, a fine of 15,000 euros, a ban on managing for five years, and a five-year ineligibility sentence against Mr. Messina.
