Jean-Pierre Papin, former French international and now coach of the Olympique de Marseille reserves, also has to deal with a family tragedy, the disability of his daughter Emily.
The return to Olympique de Marseille is not easy for Jean-Pierre Papin. The former 1991 Ballon d’Or was named coach of the OM reserves last November.
An unexpected appointment for JPP, who had arrived within the Marseille organization to take on the role of advisor to President Pablo Longoria. Indeed, he explained in 2020 that managing a team was difficult to reconcile with the state of health of his daughter Emily, who has a disability, and the management of the Neuf de coeur association created in 2009 to help children disabled. “It was complicated to combine the management of a football club with my association Neuf de cœur and my daughter Emily, had explained the father of five children in the columns of Parisian.
“It’s the fight of a lifetime”
Emily Papin has suffered from severe brain damage since childhood, but that hasn’t stopped her from continuing to make progress. “She continues to make progress even though she will be 30 years old. We know she will never be like the others. But Emily lives with us as 200% part of the family. »said Papin.
France 98, Vieira’s broken promise https://t.co/bu9WHI11G6
— French Football Weekly (@foot365) December 5, 2023
Despite her disability, Emily is now able to walk and run. “ One day, I was told in France that it would never work. Now she can run 10 km with me every day. We should not always believe what we are told. Emily, it’s the fight of a lifetime », Confided the former Ciel et Blanc scorer.
