Jean-Jacques Eydelie

Jean-Jacques Eydelie
Personal information
Date of birthFebruary 3, 1966
Place of birthAngoulême, France
Height1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Playing positionMidfielder
Club information
Current team
Limoges (Manager)
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
1984–1992Nantes132(5)
1986–1987Laval (loan)17(0)
1987–1988Tours (loan)
1992–1993Marseille27(0)
1993–1994Suspended
1994–1995Bastia53(1)
1995–1997Sion29(1)
1997–1999Walsall (loan)11(0)
1998FC Zurich22(0)
1999–2000US Avranches2(0)
2000–2001Stade Beaucairois5(0)
Teams managed
2006–2007Limoges
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.
† Appearances (Goals).

Jean-Jacques Eydelie (born 3 February 1966 in Angoulême, Charente) is a French former footballer most noted for his role in the Marseille match-fixing scandal of 1993.[1] A midfielder, Eydelie began his career with Nantes, before joining Marseille in 1992. His first season at Marseille was a success, with the club finishing top of the league, and winning the Champions League, but shortly after the Champions League final (in which Eydelie appeared as a substitute), it was revealed that he had contacted three players at Ligue 1 club Valenciennes (Jorge Burruchaga,[2] Christophe Robert[2] and Jacques Glassman[3]) on behalf of the Marseille board, in order to offer bribes. Marseille needed to beat Valenciennes to secure the championship, and had induced the Valenciennes players to "go easy" in order that the Marseille players would not be overly exerted before the Champions League final.[4] It was Glassman who reported the bribe, which resulted in Marseille being stripped of the 1993 French title, banned from defending the Champions League (although the win still stood), and relegated to Ligue 2. Eydelie was banned for a year by FIFA, given a one-year suspended sentence, and served 17 days in prison. Members of the Marseille board were given longer prison sentences, and Valenciennes players Burruchaga and Robert received FIFA bans for their involvement.[3] Upon his return to football, Eydelie had a nomadic career, he trained for a few months at Benfica, played in England, Switzerland and back in France before retiring in 2003. From 2006 to 2007 he was the manager of amateur club Limoges Foot 87.

In 2006, Eydelie released his autobiography, telling of corruption and doping during his time at Marseille.[1] Former OM chairman Bernard Tapie sued unsuccessfully for libel[5] (which he is planning to appeal), and former team mate Didier Deschamps has also threatened legal action.[6]

Honours

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 "Wenger slams former Marseille Chairman". Eurosport. 2006-01-23. Retrieved 2007-03-12.
  2. 2.0 2.1 "Argentine Charged in Marseille case". New York Times. 1993-07-02. Retrieved 2007-03-12.
  3. 3.0 3.1 "Tapie Directly Implicated As Marseille Trial Opens". International Herald Tribute. 1995-03-14. Archived from the original on 2006-11-28. Retrieved 2007-03-12.
  4. "From Glory to Disgrace: Soccer Saga Grips Marseille". International Herald Tribune. 1992-07-12. Retrieved 2007-03-12.
  5. "Former Marseille chairman to sue ex-player for libel". ESPN Soccernet. 2006-01-22. Retrieved 2007-03-12.
  6. "Dishing the Dirt". World Cup Blog. 2006-02-17. Retrieved 2007-03-12.