Football: the world of football mourns Didier Amiel, the former coach of Occitanie

Sélectionneur d’Occitanie durant plusieurs années, Didier Amiel était unanimement apprécié pour sa gentillesse et ses qualités humaines. Midi Libre – ALAIN MENDEZ

L’entraîneur historique de la sélection Occitanie nous a quittés ces derniers jours.

His family, his friends, his former players. They were all there on Tuesday afternoon to say goodbye and pay their last respects. As a symbol of the man he was, unifying and loved by all. Didier Amiel left us last week at the age of 74. And with him, a whole section of the recent history of regional football is gone.

Appreciated by all

Coach of Occitanie from 2008 to 2018, after having been a player then a coach for several years in the Paris region and in Montblanc (Hérault), this great lover of the Hérault and Occitan territory was one of those characters who mark those who had the chance to know him. For everything he exuded, but also for who he was. "I’have so many memories with Didier. I remember the days of the final on the Isle of Man or even the Europeade, where he paced back and forth before the matches. I will never forget the joy on his face when we won our first trophy. That day, he was really proud and we too were happy to see him happy", remembers with emotion Brice Martinez, whose words resonate and echo those of Boris Massaré, one of his former lieutenants in selection."I met him for the first time when I was 10, he was my Spanish teacher. He was already in exchange and openness towards others. We almost only did oral, he liked to involve as many people as possible and not leave anyone on the sidelines. He was the one who first told me about the project. I don't know a single player who wasn't marked by his passion, his vivacity and the desire he had to share his experience and knowledge. Didier was all that. A great enthusiast, who loved people deeply."

A hell of a character

And who knew how to show them. Throughout his adventure with the Occitanie selection, in which the best amateur footballers in the region were brought together, the man in the beret who became a winegrower in Montblanc, in parallel with his job as a teacher, had never stopped to support and guide its players. Without ever forgetting to transmit and share the values ​​and wealth of his beloved Occitanie, this region that he loved so much. "This is sad news for the Occitan people. Didier was much more than a selector and a coach. We admired him at every competition and every moment spent with him. He was a man with an immense heart, who managed to take us into his madness and make us love this language and this country. I have so many memories of him, the morning Occitan lessons or the trips to Safrane. I will always remember his joie de vivre, his pre-match speeches which made our guts churn or those endless chants in the locker room, but which made us untouchable. Big tears have flowed for an entire people since his disappearance", confides Bastien Cantier, former player of AS Canet, whom Didier Amiel knew well when he was still at the head of the team alongside Gérôme Hernandez."I have a mess of memories with Didier. I remember my first selection as if it were yesterday. We all ate together and the morning of the match, I woke up with a lot of pressure. It was my first selection, I really wanted to succeed. When I got up to leave my room, I saw him in his underwear, in the hallway, saying to me in his accent: oh pichòt, I hope you're ready for today. It was Didier, a simple, human and authentic guy. He knew how to make people laugh and bring people together."

Memories remain

Until this last trip to his Montblanc lands, surrounded by his family and all those who loved him. Didier Amiel, a name that Occitanie football will never forget.

The entire Midi Libre editorial team sends its sincere condolences to the family and loved ones of Didier Amiel, who died on May 17, 2024 at the age of 74. I subscribe to read more