If he has not managed to make a great coach career, Jean-Pierre Papin lives a great experience as coach of the OM reserve team. After the RC Strasbourg, the RC Lens, the Berrichonne de Châteauroux, FC Arcachon and C 'Chartres (from 2020 to 2022), “JPP” returned to Marseille as club ambassador and adviser to President Pablo Longoria. Him the legend of the Marseille club, a star scorer of the Bernard Tapie and European golden era in 1991. When Medhi Benatia arrived in November 2023 as Longoria's right arm, Papin took the reins of team B, which evolves in National 3 (the fifth hexagonal division).
His adventure is dotted with pitfalls, this is the case to say. Last season, the northerner thought he was promoted number 1 of the first team after the release of Marcelino in October and Gennaro Gattuso in February 2024. Jacques Abardonado first played the temporary worker, then the leaders entrusted the fate of the club for the end of the season to Jean-Louis Gasset. Worse, last fall, Papin created a big discomfort at OM by denouncing interference in his compos of his superior hierarchical of the time, Ali Zarrak, installed as manager of team 2 by Benatia (then sent to recruitment by Longoria).
Papin is the end
Papin continues to lead his boat to the head of team B (4th in group J but distant for the climb in N2). For what could be his latest adventure as a professional coach. During a conference given by the INSEEC Marseille business school, the unhappy finalist in the 1991 and 1993 Champions League (and winner in 1994 with AC Milans but without appearing on the final match sheet) admits having “Need to blow”believing that he was
“Time can be a little (his) retirement”.
“JPP” explained: “Today, I am 61 years old. I arrived on a date when I don't know if I should continue, if I have to stop. I have children, small children. We still evolved quite a bit compared to the career as a footballer, whether before, during, after. Today, we need to take stock, but to really take stock to rest a little. We went really far in everything we could. My wife, it's been 35 years that we have been married, she sacrificed herself a lot compared to my career, and I think that at one point, rightly, it is also necessary that I can also give her a little bit what she has brought me “. The time is approaching …
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvPetCTIHK
