Rolland CourbisA key figure in French football, he passed away this Monday at the age of 72. A former professional player, he was best known as a coach. He managed numerous clubs, including Montpellier, Olympique de Marseille, Lens, Rennes, Bordeaux, and Ajaccio. A colorful character, he was renowned for his outspokenness, his way with words, and his charisma. After his coaching career, "Coach Courbis" became a media pundit, notably at RMC, where he delighted listeners and fans of all teams. We met Rolland Courbis in 1998, when he was the coach of Olympique de Marseille. In memory of this extraordinary personality, Interviews republishes this iconic interview…
Interview: Regarding your record, some say you've never won anything in football…
Rolland Courbis: This compliment comes from Michel DenisotLooking at his record, I don't understand anything: he fired Artur Jorge, the only coach who won the French championship. You can't even follow him with a compass! Paris Saint-Germain? Who does that name excite? But if you say OM with the accent… Even journalists have come up with a spelling: "l'Ohème"! That's what popularity is.
You do everything. You're even a player agent…
Players can't be stopped from calling me if they want to! Now, it's true that some coaches have a percentage of player transfers in their contract.
You first, right?
Never! Write it out clearly: NEVER! I've never received a percentage as a coach. Unfortunately! The day you sign Ba for Bordeaux for 1 million francs and then sell him for 45 million to AC Milan, that's a hefty profit, isn't it? I'm starting to regret not having a percentage of player sales in my contract too!
Your defensive system isn't exactly inspiring...
Okay. Emotionally, I feel more miserable sitting on the bench when OM concedes a goal than I get an erection when OM scores one. But when OM scores, I get an erection too, you know! So far in my life, I've been called everything, a drug dealer, HIV-positive, but never impotent!
Tapie has always maintained that you taught him everything about football…
I was just one of those people Tapie wanted to meet when he started playing football.
Couldn't you have coached OM back in his day?
You can't run the club with two coaches. (Tapie and him, editor's note.)Two things like us together, it's bound to explode, right? Although…
The fact of having shared your life with the Countess Rizzoli It made some people jealous…
It's true that in the 1980s, I made a huge mistake: I should have met a homeless woman, ugly, poor, and in poor health. If I had to do it again, I'd go pick up women under bridges!
No OM player uses performance-enhancing drugs?
I guarantee that no OM player can be suspected of doping. On my mother's head! I'd rather lose than ruin a player's health.
You paid a high price for having managed, in Toulouse, to pay less in URSSAF contributions…
I spent three and a half months in prison and paid a fine of 500,000 francs. (approximately 100,000 euros, editor's note)You can't call me a thug anymore. I've settled my debts and I hate to bring it up again. I've also been dealing with a tax audit for 15 years now, which I'm still contesting. Of course, I'm not someone to be pitied. But please, don't label me a fool!
