That’s not a scoop. Jean-Louis Triaud, president of the Girondins de Bordeaux from 1996 to 2017, was known for these bloodshed in the Bordeaux locker room. But this Tuesday, the story of one of them makes a lot of talk, and especially smiles on the web. It is told by Gaëtan Laborde, the Stade Rennais striker trained with the Marines and Whites. “We were in Corsica with President Triaud and we weren’t on a very, very good run. One day [sûrement après une nouvelle défaite], he goes into the locker room and he starts slapping all the players. Putting little slaps like that, I swear it’s true, “he explains on the show. The Cloakroom on RMC Sports in front of his very amused Breton teammates.
At least one other witness confirmed the scene to 20 minutes before adding: “I don’t know after which match but it was common for him to make colorful interventions (smiles)”. Gaëtan Laborde specifies in passing that he escaped it because he was still very young and had not played this meeting. “Nobody spoke, nobody answered, continues the center-forward. He was a real supporter, super endearing but at the time, it was special”.
Since leaving the presidency of the club, Jean-Louis Triaud politely declines all requests from the media. Still on the club’s board of directors, he is now 100% responsible for family wine estate while keeping an eye on the Girondins. Moreover, Gaëtan Laborde does not forget to recall that its former president was also very “generous” and when “we won he offered cases of wine”. JLT knew how to motivate his men…