Reactions have multiplied since the announcement of the death of the former coach of Olympique de Marseille.
A great player in French football has left. This Monday, the world of sport learned of the death of Rolland Courbis, emblematic coach of Marseille and Montpellier, who died at the age of 72.
Reactions and tributes have multiplied since the announcement, starting with that of the coach of the France team, Didier Deschamps: “With the death of Rolland Courbis, French football loses an endearing, warm personality with a strong character. A fine connoisseur of football and its mysteries, but also of the game. Rolland has managed the best French clubs, I am thinking in particular of Bordeaux, Marseille, Lens and Montpellier. He was a real enthusiast. And he had chosen to transmit this passion, in recent years, behind a microphone. With a sense of formula all his own. To his family, to his loved ones, I send my sincere condolences.”
Skip the ad
Fernandez evokes a notable character
Another football figure, Luis Fernandez spoke to Figaro and relates his particular relationship with a sometimes divisive character: “Rolland Courbis left his mark on his time in the world of football, whether on the pitch as a player then coach or in the media. He’s someone you can like or not like, but I really liked him. I was a fan of Rolland because we had a good connection, we talked to each other, we exchanged. Rolland was football, it was his phrasing, his frankness. We crossed paths quite a few times on the pitch as players and then as coaches.”
And to add: “I remember he came to see me in Cannes when I had this injury problem with my knee and he wanted me to join Toulon. Ultimately, I stayed at AS Cannes but it was he who made the first move. And I won’t soon forget that. He was six years older than me but we got along very well. It’s a Marseillais that I liked, a Marseillais with whom I had fun. We worked together on the radio and it was always a treat to listen to him, because he knew football very well and had an interesting vision. I really liked the man. He was attractive, he was happy, he was cheerful”.
“Someone from us even if he was from Marseille,” slips Laurent Nicollin
Laurent Nicollin knew Rolland Courbis well who came to coach Montpellier twice, between 2007 and 2009 and between 2013 and 2015. “It’s true that we often see cheekiness in him, but he was someone who, all week long, worked enormously. He was very close to his players and always found the words to try to motivate and get the most out of them. He was cheeky, but always wisely and always in the spirit of ensuring that the team was as efficient as possible”explains to Figaro the current president of the Hérault club who has become very close to his former coach even if the second stint at the club ended less well. “Rolland was someone I greatly appreciated, with his faults and his qualities. It was someone from our area. Even if he’s from Marseillais, it’s two hours from us. We are somewhat in the same state of mind, the same southern and Mediterranean mentality. He was exuberant, but he had a very endearing side. I will miss him dearly.”
“Charismatic and emblematic figure of French football”
Several of his former clubs, Lens and Caen, also posted messages on their social networks: “Charismatic and emblematic figure of French football, this former defender and tactician left his mark on France with his authenticity”wrote first. “With the disappearance of Rolland Courbis this Monday, a new figure in French football has just left us”comments the second.
Worth a look
