He remained very discreet during the period of crisis that the Limoges CSP has just gone through. The club’s former interior and then marketing manager Stéphane Ostrowski agreed to answer our questions. A man who knows the new owner Lionel Peluhet very well. Interview.
What do you think of the period that Limoges CSP has just gone through?
It was a very troubled time. I think it touched all basketball lovers and all those who support the club. There were many things that were incomprehensible and irrational. We all expected a happy outcome but doubt set in over time. I remained positive. I have said this several times to Lionel Peluhet since we know each other well. I knew that Céline Forte was obviously going to side with reason even if she was really stubborn until the end. But it’s the best solution there can be. It’s a huge relief and great satisfaction.
“He is someone who is honest, serious and rigorous”
As you said, you know Lionel Peluhet well, with whom you dealt as marketing manager for Limoges CSP. What can you tell us about the man and your working relationships?
He’s someone I really appreciate. Already, he is someone who has been really successful in his business, who has shown a lot of rigor and perseverance. He is a former athlete from rugby. I knew him when I was marketing and sales manager of the club. He is someone honest, serious and rigorous. He is someone who is relatively discreet. People will have to accept it. He is not someone extravagant who will come and tap you on the shoulder or who will use familiarities to show that he is close to people. When he says something, he does it. I have been able to verify it all these years. The partnership with Intermarché (of which it is number 2) has developed over time. In good times and bad, they have always been there. He has always been there, to provide support both financially and at the advisory level. He has the ideal profile to take over the club after all this troubled period.
What will he be able to bring to Limoges CSP beyond his personality?
He will inevitably bring his knowledge to the economic world. His network too. He has a lot of them. He knows the economic fabric, the fabric of businesses, perfectly. What he perhaps has against him is that he doesn’t have a lot of knowledge of the basketball world. He readily admits it. He will have to delegate. He will need trustworthy and competent people around him. He has an important task ahead of him. Ultimately, the hardest part now begins. He is well aware of it too. I hope everyone will be behind him. We must understand and I think everyone has understood that if Lionel Peluhet had not maintained his offer despite the about-faces and reversals of situation which have taken place in recent months, the club would today be demoted and would evolve either in Nationale 1 or at regional level.
“We need to re-establish a relationship of trust”
It will take, as you just said, confidence and competence and not one or the other. But also people who know the world of basketball. This is a key to the future success of Limoges CSP…
Yes, it will be dominant. And in a very short time. Apart from the sporting side which is obviously very important, he will have to rebuild all the administration. Restart an administrative team with a general director and a partnership manager. It is something essential and important to have someone and a team, a marketing and sales unit who is on the ground, who inspires trust and who goes out to meet partners. There is a lot of work to be done. We need to re-establish a relationship of trust that has been somewhat broken and broken. From there, we can view things with optimism. But there is a lot of work to be done in a very short time.
