Before climbing to the top of the world with the France team on July 12, 1998, Aimé Jacquet had a long and rich career on the benches of different clubs. Passed notably through Bordeaux or
Montpellierthe former coach of the Blues had to face delicate situations.
When he was at the helm of La Paillade, Aimé Jacquet collaborated with the emblematic Loulou Nicollin, historic president of the Hérault club. And we can say that the strong character of the latter was able to ignite sparks. Michel Der Zakarian told how the story ended.
Aimé Jacquet, the brutal announcement
After a setback in Lyon (1-3), Aimé Jacquet was brutally thanked by his president at the time. “I was at the end of my contract in Nantes. Last year, I didn’t participate much (21 league matches), so I also wanted to leave, and there weren’t many clubs that came forward. Loulou was a big, big character, with an aura, an ease. As a player, I have known him to be excessive, in every sense, in affection, but also in anger. Volcanic. He moved us a lot. He was virulent, sometimes hurtful », Explained Der Zakarian in So Foot.
“ I remember a defeat in Lyon, his city, 3-1, in February 90. Aimé Jacquet was the coach, there had been a big recruitment effort, with Cantona and Paille, and we were last. The president enters the locker room, he says to Aimé: ‘So, what do we do? – I don’t know, president, I’m lost. – You’re fired.’ Like that, in front of everyone. We were all stunned. There was a long silence… Aimé was a really good coach, he made us work well. He had been a three-time French champion with Bordeaux and he was getting kicked out like a bad guy…”.
Experiences which visibly forged the technician, who became a legend ten years later.
