who is Rachid Zeroual, the leader of the South Winners at the heart of the crisis?

Rachid Zeroual, historic leader of the South Winners, is considered by many to be the key figure in the crisis facing OM, which led to the withdrawal of president Pablo Longoria and the departure of coach Marcelino. His past recalls his colossal influence within the Marseille club.

Name: Zeroual. First name: Rachid. He is never mentioned in the press releases, but he is one of the major protagonists of this crisis. Many supporters understood this well, to the point of signing a petition to demand his departure from the management of the South Winners, an emblematic group of supporters of Olympique de Marseille. Rachid Zeroual crystallizes all the criticism against these ultras accused of having brandished the threat of a “war” to push the management to resign. Because during the famous meeting on September 18 between representatives of supporters’ associations and the club’s staff, the person concerned was described as having been one of the most virulent.

A figure from Marseille

In Marseille, and not just in the 14th arrondissement where he grew up, Rachid Zeroual is essential. He made his South Winners debut in 1987, in the South Bend. He gains influence as the group grows, but also because he stands out for his organizational skills. This allowed him to become an employee of the club for a time, as head of fan relations.

His group, which for a long time was able to market subscriptions itself, is one of those which is not limited to results and support during matches. Firstly because it is fundamentally marked by anti-racism, proclaiming frank opposition to the “fascists” who can take over the stands. But also because he wants to matter in the life of the city.

“Never forget our dedication to the children and the social actions we carry out,” Rachid Zeroual said last March before the Marseille criminal court.

“It was he who brought down Bouchet”

But the character is as powerful and respected as he is sulphurous. In 2003, a brawl with supporters cost him four months in prison, but also his job at the club. President Christophe Bouchet, who oust him, leaves shortly after. “Zeroual’s dream is to become the boss of OM, but he is already the vice-president of the club. (…) It was he who brought down Bouchet”, we read in the columns of the World in 2006. The departures of two other presidents, Jean-Michel Roussier (1995-1999) and Yves Marchand (1999-2000), are also attributed to him.

With Robert-Louis Dreyfus and Pape Diouf, relations are good. Same with Jean-Claude Dassier, president between 2009 and 2011, who confided in The Team: “When I became president of OM, in June 2009, I was advised to meet him. (…) He had a bad reputation, but I discovered an interesting character. We always had good good relations”.

Speaking to RMC Sport, Rolland Courbis, at the helm of the team from 1997 to 1999, gives his personal experience, which is rather positive: “I spent two and a half years in Marseille. We didn’t win every match, but I didn’t. I didn’t have the shadow of a problem, nor an unpleasant meeting. (…) When I arrived, there was a reception. Rachid was there, we got along, we laughed and I didn’t never had a problem. And we got whistled from time to time! (…) But we can’t compare relationships. No one is a prophet in his country, but I was still born in the northern districts of Marseille “I’m not a stranger. When you talk to someone from Marseillais, it’s not quite the same thing as if you talk to the different coaches there have been in recent times.”

Threats against Didier Deschamps

Scrutinized by the political class with a view to “social peace”, Rachid Zeroual’s power is directly called into question in two dark chapters in the recent history of OM. In a documentary broadcast on France 3 in 2018, he recounts how he allowed himself to put pressure on Didier Deschamps, coach between 2009 and 2012: “He had gone to a restaurant and I went there to shake him up a bit. little. (…) I gave him advice, which was to leave Olympique de Marseille. That if something happened to me, he would follow behind. And he left Olympique de Marseille . I made him tremble all over. I told him I would uncap his head from his shoulders.”

A conflict which is the subject of a note from a police anti-organized crime squad, highlighting in passing a closeness between the supporter-leader and José Anigo, former coach and sports director of OM.

“The scapegoat for everything that can happen in Marseille”

In 2021, the episode of the invasion of the training center brings Rachid Zeroual back to justice. The event had pushed out the then president, Jacques-Henri Eyraud. In 2023, the criminal court sentences the boss of the South Winners to nine months in prison, five suspended. “Things have been going very well for the Winners for 11 years,” he told RMC Sport. “During the confinement, we helped everyone. We collected food which we redistributed. We only carry out humanitarian, charitable, social operations. Explain to me the monster that I am! Even sick (he suffers from blood cancer, editor’s note), they manage to find that I am a monster?

For the leader of the South Winners, his sulphurous reputation is thus largely overrated. “I am a group leader, they want to condemn me and make me take the blame,” he added during the hearing. “I am a bit of a scapegoat for everything that happens in Marseille.” Will he defend himself the same way this time?