Boules: the last goal throw of “Néné” Macari, five times winner of the Grand Prix Midi Libre

René Macari est décédé ce mercredi 13 mars à l'âge de 94 ans. Midi Libre – LYDIA CHASSIER

La légende René Macari est décédée ce mercredi 13 mars à l'âge de 94 ans.

He left us. He left the stage and the bowling greens. René Macari or, rather, "Néné" Macari died this Wednesday March 13, 2024, at just 94 years old, celebrated eight days ago. He was a legend and he will forever remain in the history of pétanque and the Provençal game.

The story of his life could only be recorded in a book (1). That of a child of the ball, from a very large family and whose parents, Italians, arrived penniless in Nîmes, with the one and only hope of surviving. Among the siblings, René, gifted at everything except school and who would build his mind and reputation through perseverance. And if he later became a living legend of pétanque and, above all, of the Provençal game, it was first with his feet that he won his first smiles. His first compliments too. Gifted footballer, midfielder – "At the time, we said inter" – Tireless, he would meet the sharp gaze of Kader Firoud, who advised him to join Nîmes Olympique.

He played at Nîmes Olympique with a certain Jean Bousquet

At his side, on the ground, a certain Jean Bousquet, later called to become the mayor of a city that René Macari would never leave. "As I have not been in politics, my party is Nîmes Olympique, he explained seriously to Midi Libre in July 2017. I played there in cadets, in juniors and I even had the right to rub shoulders with the “pros”, for a match. In Montpellier moreover."

But talent is not always enough. Too busy boiling an already bland pot, his parents will not be able to offer him the assets necessary to persevere in football. And it’s at the Stella Club in Nîmes that “Néné” will bury his dreams of glory. "I didn't know it yet but it was destiny that had sent me there", he whispered, a bit nostalgic. Spotted by an after-school neighborhood club, he negotiated his first job at National Education, as a service agent. A few years later, after a very brief detour to Castelnaudary and obtaining an exam which "someone must have given me as a gift, I imagine", he would become the ;loved and respected steward of a Nîmes high school. At his side, Mado, his faithful companion, whom he married more than seventy years ago…

René Macari on the Grand Prix Midi Libre games, in Nîmes, chatting with Jean-Pierre Ferret. Free Midday

Gifted, clever and strategically above average

The sequel ? It’s obviously with balls in hand that she will sign up for René Macari. Gifted, clever and strategically above average, he will become one of the best scorers in France and the ambassador of a major boules brand. Initiated by Jean Ferret, "my absolute master", he would multiply his titles of glory, and notably win five Grand Prix Midi Libre,  an event which he seemed capable of narrating led by leads…

“My regret, it's Marseille”

P&etanque or Provençal game, René Macari has an exceptional track record which makes him one of the greatest champions in the Region. If his greatest exploits are those achieved in the Provençal game, the Gardois has still achieved great success. French petanque champion in triplet, in 1969 é Roubaix, with Raoul Bonfort and Denis Salvador, and he woné once the Mondial La Marseille, associatedé &agrav; Salvador and Gabanon. Selected for the 1980 World Championship, à Nevers, with Bonfort and Matalana, René Macari, however, quickly devoted himself to &agrav; the long où his application, his knowledge of the game and his showmanship have made him an essential player.

Triplet champion of France in 1982 and again Draguignan in 1983 with his “little”, Jean-Pierre Ferret and Gérard Sigal, he also éfailedé in the final in 1969 and 1984. Côt&eac; Nationals, “Néné” Macari won most of the major tests, start with Bernis (3 times), Beaucaire, Arles, Avignon and other Cannes or Saint-Martin-de-Crau.

However, a work will definitely be missing in the future. the gallery of the Nîmois pointer, whose gestures on the bowling games seemed incomparable… This is the Provençal à Marseille, the other major French event with the Grand Prix Midi Libre, which Macari never succeeded in. win. "It’is a test that has always been refused to anyone. me, he explained à Midi Libre in July 2017. Like a beautiful woman. I competed there. semi-finals, quarter-finals and even a final."

 A final prestigious game, in 1985, that the former high school steward will not soon forget. And for good reason ! "I played with the “little ones”, Sigal and Ferret, and as we woné the semi-final quite quickly, I returned at Grau-du-Roi for lunch with the family. Except that I forgot; time and I came back at the same time. Marseille an hour late. The public and the opponents were waiting for us. But the worst part is that only Gérard (Sigal) was there. Jean-Pierre (Ferret), who nevertheless remained behind in Marseille, arrived at the same time as me, running. The first one leads, we took six points… And we lost 13-1."

Throughout his life, René Macari was one of the best ambassadors of the city of Nîmes that he adored. "Néné", he was a character. His banter and his complicity with his friend Raoul Bonfort made pétanque a… joyful spectacle.

Times had changed a lot and beneath his always slightly naughty smile, he hid a certain sadness. Because this immense champion, with an incredible track record (triple champion of France, twice in the Provençal game in 1982 and 1983 and once in pétanque in 1969 with Raoul Bonfort and Denis Salvador), was above all a man of heart, faithful to his friends and values ​​that are now forgotten.

Great sensitivity

All it took was hearing her sing "Mama" to detect the sensitivity which was his and which he often hid behind a joke. He who sang "They came, they are all there" will not be alone on the day of the big departure. There will be many of them, coming from all over France, near Mado, his wife, his daughter Patricia and his granddaughter, sad but proud to have known "Néné".  

(1) In 2015, René Macari published, with his friend Vincent Méger, passionate and true memoirist of the long, “Néné Macari, une passion nîmoise”, with Éditions Lucie.