In situ
Laurent Louët, former special correspondent of the bi-weekly But!, covered live the victory of Olympique de Marseille in the Cup of Champions Clubs, May 26, 1993 at the Olympic Stadium in Munich. Boli's raging goal, the players' intimate party at the hotel, Tapie's delirious press conference before the plane back to Marseille, the crazy presentation of the Cup at the Stade Vélodrome... So many events inscribed in the legend, for eternity.
On Wednesday, May 26, 1993, two hours before the kick-off of the Champions Clubs' Cup final between OM and AC Milan, the Olympic Stadium in Munich glides gently from a scorching spring afternoon to a warm evening of football. On the left of the press gallery, a white-blue turn sings of his hopes of a big night. The supporters' associations pass the buck: "We are the Marseillais! And we want to win! Go Ohme!" Since the day before, Bavaria has taken on the southern accent. Coaches and planes of supporters flocked, bringing nearly 25,000 fans. Favorites on paper, the Italians are losing the pre-match in the stands. Unlike the final of Bari in 1991, lost on penalties against Red Star Belgrade, the people of Marseille feel that, this time, fate will smile on his OM ...
To discover
- Champions League schedule and results
Around 19:00, when Bernard Tapie and his players entered the field in recognition, it was still daylight, but the Olympic Stadium was already ablaze with incandescent fervor. The arrival of the Rossoneri in the wake of Silvio Berlusconi adds colour. Presidents pose for photographers and television, in a concours d'elegance, navy blue blazers clubs and devastating smiles, Stars 90 style. The Marseille players remain for long moments in front of their supporters, as if they were immersed in the collective strength that emerges: "There, we understood that we had no choice but to win for them," confessed captain Deschamps, later.
SEE ALSO – Boli, Lucho Gonzalez, Sakai: the top 5 iconic goals of OM
A men's match
Swiss referee Kurt Roethlisberger blows the whistle for a men's match. Over the course of the game, OM strongly imprints its ambition. The physical, technical and tactical arm wrestling turns to the advantage of the Marseillais just before half-time, on a corner of Abedi Pelé, with the goal of a revanchist Basile Boli (44th). In the second half, in the official gallery, Bernard Tapie shouts his instructions to his lieutenant Jean-Pierre Bernès, sitting on the bench with coach Raymond Goethals.
OM held firm thanks to its flying goalkeeper, Fabien Barthez, ultra relaxed before this final, to the point of falling asleep on the bus on the way to the stadium! The last Marseille defender hovers over Milan's heads: Maldini, Baresi, Costacurta, Van Basten, Massaro can't do it! OM won the final and Basile Boli capsized hearts, heading towards the supporters' stand, showing that Bari's tears no longer flowed down his cheeks. Marseille can be overwhelmed by a wave of pleasure that will turn everything in its path for three days...
Raymond Goethals, coach of OM in 1993. Imago / Panoramic
For journalists, the post-match press conference is improvised around the Marseille dressing room, with players delirious, all smiles, telling who better-better the feat of the evening. Éric Di Méco, Jean-Jacques Eydelie, Marcel Desailly improvise a farandole, Abedi Pelé and Basile Boli relive the goal a hundred times by holding each other's arms, Rudi Völler, sitting in a corner, savors the present moment, alone, eyes shining. Ironically, in the basement parking lot of the stadium, a few meters away, Jean-Pierre Papin is lost, haggard, looking for the Milanese bus. He stops, with a heavy heart, in front of the dictaphone that presents itself to him: "I am happy for them, for Marseille, for the club and all the supporters." Substitute at AC Milan, who came into play in the 55th minute, the former striker and captain of OM is definitely on the wrong side... After thirty-eight years of waiting, Olympique de Marseille offers France the first European football cup in its history.
Tapie makes Nanard
At the exit of the car park, the procession of following cars sticks to the OM bus. Head to the Hotel Bachmair, in Rottach-Eggen, 60 kilometers south of Munich, the team's holiday resort, recommended by the German Völler to his leaders. Around 03:00 in the morning, the players meet their wives for a party that lasts until the early morning, in the lounges of the establishment. In the lobby, reporters assault receptionists for phone lines and fax their papers. A glass of champagne next to their typewriters, regularly supplied by OM leaders and players, some will fall asleep in the green velvet armchairs, after telling the story of this success, under the benevolent eye of the hotel manager. "I invite you to fly to Marseille with us," Jean-Pierre Bernès told them, waking them up at the stroke of noon.
This Thursday, May 27, the caravel of Air Provence which must bring the players and the entire delegation of OM to Marseille from Munich, is late. In the transit room, Bernard Tapie improvises a press conference. Enthroned alone on a black leather sofa, the president of Marseille is jubilant. "I made this team, right, Raymond?" he asks his coach, sitting a few meters away with Bernès. Goethals confirms by nodding his head, smiling. The Belgian did the job. The president is blazing. Journalists listen, observe and cash in, beak nailed. None dares to return to the still fresh revelations of Jean-Jacques Glassmann, the Valencian player. Bernard Tapie is the king of football. "Nanard" has his little world at his feet.
Basile Boli, sole scorer of the final against AC Milan. imago sportfotodienst
At the end of a peaceful flight, during which the players finally sleep, the monster traffic jam between Marignane and the Velodrome stadium announces madness in the city! Tens of thousands of people applaud the passage of the team bus on the side of the road. Almost four hours are needed to reach the velodrome stadium, where the club has given appointment to all the supporters for the presentation of the trophy. The procession blocked nearly an hour in the Avenue du Prado. Everyone wants to see the Champions Clubs' Cup, which Bernard Tapie has placed at the front of the bus, behind the windscreen. The craze is amazing!
We are the Champions
The celebration is at its peak when the players enter the lawn of the Velodrome open to all, in the heart of crowded stands! Franck Sauzée hands the Cup to people so that they can touch it. Éric Di Méco cries like a Minot in the central circle, tears flow with pleasure on the cheeks of the screaming children, the speaker launches "We are The Champions", from the group Queen, the anthem of victory, for an exceptional collective jubilation. Without question, the highlight of this victory. The party will continue all night in the bars of the Old Port and Place Thiers...
The following Saturday, coincidentally, OM hosts Paris SG on the penultimate day of the championship. The victory (3-1) gives the title to OM with a new goal from the head of Basile Boli (36th). Re-belote. Marseille catches fire again for several nights of embers. The hysteria can slowly subside and take a solemn air a few days later, in the salons of the Élysée, for a presidential reception with François Mitterrand: "This success enhances the prestige of the France," he concluded. A tribute by way of conclusion. On Friday, June 4, Noël le Graët, then president of the National Football League, announced that its Board of Directors had decided to file a complaint against X in what would be called the VA-OM affair. The party is well and truly over...
OM 1993: Barthez, Boli, Völler... What happened to the heroes?
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