Pape Diouf

Mababa "Pape" Diouf (18 December 1951 – 31 March 2020) was a Senegalese journalist and football agent, who was the president of French football club Olympique de Marseille between 2005 and 2009. He was the first Black President of a top flight football club in any of Europe's top six leagues [1][2][3][4]

For the musician, see Pape Diouf (artist). For the footballer who is a goalkeeper, see Pape Mamadou Diouf. For the footballer who is a winger/striker, see Pape Paté Diouf.

Mababa Pape Diouf
Born(1951-12-18)18 December 1951
Abéché, Chad
Died31 March 2020(2020-03-31) (aged 68)
Dakar, Senegal

Personal life

Diouf was born in Abéché, Chad, to Senegalese parents.[5][6] The family returned to their native country shortly after Diouf's birth.[2] Diouf had Chadian, French and Senegalese citizenships.[6] Diouf moved to Marseille at the age of eighteen.[7] He later studied at Sciences Po.[7]

Career

Diouf started out as a journalist, working for La Marseillaise newspaper.[7] Diouf centred his work around sport, and particularly the local football club, Olympique de Marseille.[3][4] Eventually he turned his hand to being a sports agent,[4] with clients such as former French international defender Basile Boli, and Cameroonian goalkeeper Joseph-Antoine Bell playing for Marseille. He became closely linked with the Côte d'Azur side.[8] As an agent, his clients included Marcel Desailly, Basile Boli, William Gallas, Samir Nasri, and Didier Drogba[9] during Drogba's time at Marseille from 2003 to 2004.[7]

In 2004, Diouf became Marseille's general manager.[10] In 2005, owner Robert Louis-Dreyfus made Diouf Marseille club president.[10] In doing so, he became the first black president of a top-tier European football club.[9] Whilst Diouf was president, Marseille finished second in Ligue 1 twice, and twice finished as runners up in the Coupe de France.[11] In 2009, Diouf appointed Didier Deschamps as Marseille manager. Under Deschamps, Marseille won the 2009–10 Ligue 1, the first time in 18 years that they had won the league.[5] Diouf left the role later in 2009,[12][9] and was replaced by Jean-Claude Dassier.[13] From September 2007 to June 2009, he also worked for the Ligue de Football Professionnel as an administrator.[12][11][9] In 2009, he attended the FIFA headquarters in Zürich, Switzerland, to talk about racism in football and the standard of football in France.[14]

Death

Diouf died on 31 March 2020 after succumbing to the global pandemic of COVID-19 in Senegal.[7][12] Diouf had been due to fly to Nice, France for coronavirus treatment, but was deemed too ill to travel.[7] He was the first fatality from coronavirus in the country.[5][7]

References
  1. "Pape Diouf: Former Marseille president dies after contracting coronavirus". BBC News. 1 April 2020. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  2. "Pape Diouf: Celebrating Europe's first black club president". Futaa. 1 April 2020. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  3. (in French) [In] OM Actualités (retrieved : 1 May 2012) Archived 21 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine
  4. (in French) Exclusive interview with Olympique de Marseille Magazine (official site) "Pape Diouf : L’OM ne fait plus dans le folklore" Archived 12 September 2008 at the Wayback Machine (Retrieved : 1 May 2012)
  5. "1st virus death in Senegal is ex-French soccer club boss". Associated Press. 1 April 2020. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  6. "Football world mourns death of Pape Diouf". FIFA. 1 April 2020. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  7. "Former Marseille boss Pape Diouf dies at 68 from coronavirus". France24. 1 April 2020. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  8. Nabiswa, Collins (1 April 2020). "🇫🇷 Pape Diouf: Celebrating Europe's first black club president". futaa.com.
  9. "Former Marseille president Pape Diouf dies after contracting coronavirus". The Guardian. 31 March 2020. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  10. Panja, Tariq (2 April 2020). "Pape Diouf, Former President of Marseille Soccer Club, Dies at 68". The New York Times. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
  11. Morse, Ben (1 April 2020). "Legendary Marseille president Pape Diouf dies after contracting coronavirus". CNN. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  12. "Pape Diouf: Former Marseille president dies after contracting coronavirus". BBC Sport. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  13. "Un patron de TF1 à la tête de l'OM". La Provence (in French). 19 June 2009. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  14. "Pape Diouf: Football brings people together". FIFA. 14 April 2009. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  • (in French) Sport fr (retrieved : 1 May 2012)
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