Between financial problems and social crisis, the main athletics club in Montpellier is going through a dark period in its history

Several visions are opposed on the Philippidès stadium track. Midi Libre – LF

Montpellier Athletic Mediterranée Métropole has changed president again this summer in a context of tensions and financial difficulties. Explanations.

Things are heating up at MA2M. The club with 900 members that has had three presidents in just over a year is going through a financial and social crisis.

Financial first with a debt of around 140,000 euros (read opposite). Social then with, at the heart of the debates, the general meeting last July which saw the board of directors chaired by Jérôme Durand* resign en bloc after only one year at the head of the club. “We witnessed a catastrophic AGM, of unprecedented violence this summer where the president was threatened by employees and athletes were insulted”, explains an athlete who contacted us while wishing to remain anonymous.

A vision of things that is not shared by Stéphane Gauthier, MA2M employee: “During the General Assembly, there were some heated moments. Most of the athletes raised concerns with the current management. They gave their opinions, a majority were very unhappy with the club. But there were no threats or insults from the employees.”

“A heavy and electric atmosphere”

Following this collective resignation, Matteo Piombo was elected president of MA2M. “There is a communication difficulty between last season's leaders and the athletes. It was not very fluid, which caused the resignation of the board. The club suffers from a major lack of structure. No one has ever been interested in these problems. The coaches have been professionalized but not the structures. There is no global vision, no projects for the future. The previous team did a colossal job but was forced to isolate itself, which is when it was misunderstood by some of the members.”

For his part, the anonymous athlete accuses: “If we dare to speak or mention our discontent with the employees, we find ourselves socially dead at the Philippidès stadium. It's a kind of moral harassment. Alexandre Bonacorsi (employee, former president until June 2023 and coach of Kevin Mayer, Editor's note) feels all-powerful, no one has ever stood in his way. There is a heavy and electric atmosphere at the stadium. We are fed up. We think that the new president will not be able to do anything. We just want to play sports. I am not the only one who thinks this but many are afraid to express it."

“Everyone blames the precedents”

MA2M employees, for their part, refute these accusations: “The MA2M salaried technical team has been serving the club for many years, emphasizes Stéphane Gauthier. Athletes come to see us more easily because we represent a fixed point of reference. On the field, everything goes well. The main thing is our members. And even if some want to degrade our image, what happens on the field is really great.”

For Matteo Piombo, “there is a lack of empathy, and no awareness of shared responsibility. Everyone blames the precedents since the MA2M has existed. We can't do it like that. I'm here to set up an organization and a hierarchy."

*When asked, Jérôme Durand did not wish to answer our questions.

Around 140,000 euros in debts? During the General Meeting, the accountant reportedly mentioned a deficit of 140,000 euros due to the management of recent years and the debts generated by the Montpellier Run Festival organized last April. The club still owes money to Playground, the company that participated in the organization of the event.

Alexandre Bonacorsi: “Putting the club's interest first”

Former president of MA2M, now an employee of the club and coach of several athletes including Kevin Mayer, Alexandre Bonacorsi can crystallize tensions. He responds to attacks against him.

Do the club's financial problems date back to when you were president of the club (until June 2023) ?

We have experienced financial difficulties. Nothing dramatic. Every year the balance sheet was balanced. We had occasional cash flow problems that balanced out over the year. That is why I pushed for a merger of MA2M and the Athletic Club of Montpellier (ACM) which was effective in the summer of 2023. The ACM collected the licenses and the MA2M lived off the subsidies. The merger was supposed to solve the cash flow problems. When I left the presidency of the club in June 2023, we had 86,000 euros of debt. In July, we were due to receive a subsidy amount of 70,000 euros while waiting to collect 14,000 euros in invoices.

Do you confirm that the general meeting this summer was the theater of heated exchanges between athletes, employees and managers with insults and threats?

I was there, there were no threats or insults but vehement speeches, questions, interrogations.

An anonymous witness personally accuses you of putting pressure on some of the club's athletes, those who do not agree with you, the MA2M employees.

I have never forced anyone to do or say anything. I do not know what pressure I could put on an athlete and for what purpose. I have never closed the debate with people, I have always answered everyone. You can tell me anything, I am ready to hear everything. I have certainly made mistakes, the former president has made them too and the future president will make them. Despite all that, we must absolutely put the club's interest first.

Still according to this testimony, you will feel all-powerful since you are Kevin Mayer's coach…

I know that this fantasy exists without my being able to do anything about it. At one point, I was president of the club while also coaching Kevin and other athletes at the club. I felt that I had weight on the club, without wanting to. I tried never to abuse it or take advantage of it. Kevin is first my friend before being the athlete that I train, I have never used him to make a profit.

Reaction

Christian Assaf (vice-president of the Métropole in charge of sports):There is a significant deficit that remains to be refined. The club will certainly find itself in a situation of financial recovery. I am surprised to have been informed very late. I also note a social problem between employees, managers, athletes… I hope that the athletics club becomes a major sports club again, this requires sound financial management and peaceful governance while respecting the athletes. And that everyone remains at its place: managers manage, employees work and athletes train and perform. If this is no longer the case, I will work, as much as possible, to return to an acceptable financial and social situation. I cannot accept that athletes feel threatened by employees and vice versa.

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