Pierre Wantiez worked his way through French professional football for 30 years. Boss of the Franche-Comté League (1993-2000) but also general director of Grenoble (2008-10), Valenciennes (2011-17) or Le Havre (2018-22), it is especially at Sochaux that he became known (2000-08) in the role of right-hand man of its historic president, Jean-Claude Plessis. The duo who had to resolve to come out of retirement to return to service, last summer, in order to prevent the disappearance of the Doubist club, on the brink of collapse after the flight of the Chinese shareholder who left leaving a slate of 23M.
Helped by the communities but also by the enormous popular enthusiasm of the supporters and the investment of its shareholders, like Aliaume Gonthier, who has since become the president of Marignane-Gignac-Côte Bleue, the Plessis-Wantiez duo has achieved the feat of getting the Franche-Comté institution out of its rut and allowing Sochaux to return to the National league.
Wantiez left Sochaux at the end of May
Duty accomplished, at the end of May, Pierre Wantiez decided to leave his position as deputy president. An opportunity seized by the FC Martigues management who then approached the manager (63 years old) to find a successor to Columbus Morfaw, dismissed last week. A lead suggested by Jean-Pierre Bernès, Bernard Tapie’s former right-hand man at OM who advises the US owners of the club from the Provençal Venice, as he told us last Wednesday.
But also by Niša Saveljić. If the former French champion defender with Bordeaux (1999) also passed through Istres (2004-05) has been taking care of Breakers FC since 2020, an academy for young people in California under the control of Major League Soccer in partnership with the FFF, also owned by the Roskopp couple, the former Yugoslav international (32 caps) will also provide his advice to the FCM. “Nino” has also participated in several work meetings in Martigues in recent days. And who has the advantage of knowing Pierre Wantiez after wearing the colors of Sochaux (2001-03).
