Bernard Tapie
Why one of France’s most controversial figures is more popular than some of its more high-minded politicians
THE hair is glossy, the grin broad, the charm as potent as ever. When Bernard Tapie faced the press last month as the new “sporting director” of Olympique de Marseille, the soccer club of France's second city, it was almost as if a rock star had come to town. Moreover, this particular star, joshing with the press and waving to the fans, is 58, even older than Mick Jagger. So is it jealousy that makes a po-faced establishment—Le Monde has been particularly scathing—treat Mr Tapie with a certain disdain, even rancour? Is it snobbery that prompts outrage at the speculation that the working-class Mr Tapie may, despite his denials, want to revive a political career that made him the Socialists' minister of urban affairs under François Mitterrand?
This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline “Bernard Tapie”
From the May 12th 2001 edition
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