A last goodbye to Bernard Tapie, before honoring him at the height of his love for Marseille. The adopted city of the “Boss”, as the Marseillais affectionately call him, is about to say goodbye to him. His funeral will be celebrated this Friday morning at the Cathedral of the Major at 11 a.m., as he wished. And already the question arises of which place, building or street, to rename in his memory?
As of Sunday, the day of his disappearance from cancer at the age of 78, members of the South Winners group of supporters deployed a large “B. Tapie Vélodrome” tarpaulin on the forecourt of the Vélodrome stadium, as a reminder a promise made by some politicians.
“This stadium must bear the name of the person who put it at the top”
A desire shared by the majority of Bernard Tapie’s worshipers, after his love affair with Olympique de Marseille. “He is the ultimate legend of OM, the one who gave the dimension and the fame that Olympique de Marseille has today. I would like the Vélodrome stadium to be renamed the Bernard Tapie Vélodrome stadium, ”says Henry. “Victory, the love of a man for his team and for his supporters, is what drives Olympique de Marseille. So it is obvious that this stadium must bear the name of the person who put it at the top, that is to say Bernard Tapie ”, abounds Fernande.
“What could be better than the B stadium. Tapie Vélodrome ?, asks Medhi. From that would remove the foul “Orange” on the name of our stadium. Second, we would not lose the Vélodrome identity by keeping it at the end. Especially Tapie and Marseille, it’s the love story, Tapie and OM, it’s so representative. No other place apart from the Vélodrome deserves to bear this name, our boss must be enthroned and Marseille and OM must give him back what he brought ”. Except that the naming of the Stade Vélodrome with Orange runs until 2026, and it is difficult to imagine the end of this contract which would bring in nearly 2.45 million euros per year.
“The prison or the public finance center should do the trick”
But for some, the Stade Vélodrome is a symbol at least as large as Bernard Tapie, and which ultimately exceeds him. “The Vélodrome will always be called Le Vélodrome, it was there before Tapie and will always be named that way by OM supporters. I would rather rename the Jean-Bouin platform to the Bernard Tapie platform, the one which contains the presidential platform, ”considers Christophe. “The Place du Boss was in the presidential stand. I think that renaming the forum Jean-Bouin could be a good idea, that of course, without taking anything away from what Mr Jean Bouin could have been, ”adds Pierre. Patrick, for his part, leans more towards “a statue in his effigy at the entrance to the Velodrome stadium”.
But as throughout his life, Bernard Tapie retains detractors even after his death. And for them, the choice of the place to rename is obvious. “In view of its legal record, a prison to be renamed would be more conducive to a tribute,” says Frédéric. “The only place which is suitable and which will represent it best is the prison of Baumettes”, abounds Henri. “The prison or the public finance center should do the trick”, continues Steeve, referring to his convictions in the case of the rigged match between OM and Valenciennes, and to the Adidas affair between him and Crédit Lyonnais. .
But the vast majority of testimonies keep in mind the incredible love story that united him to OM, for better or for worse, and wouldn’t it ultimately be the best compromise to rename Boulevard Michelet to boulevard Bernard Tapie? He connects his last home, the cemetery of Mazargues, to that of always, the Vélodrome stadium.