Omar Keddadouche in front of the fresco in homage to Pape Diouf during his inauguration.

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Omar Keddadouche

  • Pape Diouf died of Covid-19 a year ago to the day. 

  • The first tributes were thwarted by the Covid-19 pandemic. 

  • Olympique de Marseille will pay tribute to him all day long on its social networks. 

  • Many personalities want the Prado roundabout station to bear the name of the one who marked French football, OM and Marseille. 

A fresco in homage to Pape Diouf, and that's it.

For the moment.

Tributes to the former president of Olympique de Marseille, a figure of French football, OM, and Marseille who died of Covid-19 a year ago, are slow to arrive.

Omar Keddadouche, president of ASC Vivaux Sauvagère had a fresco inaugurated last summer in his amateur club, partner of OM, in the presence of Jacques-Henri Eyraud, former president of OM.

“I had this fresco made because I had the honor of becoming his friend during the last years of his life.

He also did his last radio show on France Bleu Provence with me.

He had already come to visit us and had taken pictures with the kids.

I have a great deal of affection for the man who was, that is why I proposed this fresco in his memory ”, testifies Omar Keddadouche.

"The whole day is dedicated to Pope"

Olympique de Marseille had paid tribute to him at the same time as to Michel Hidalgo, through a minute of silence and the broadcast of their portrait on the giant screen, during the match against Saint-Etienne on September 17.

This is the first home game since the Covid-19 pandemic.

This year, OM have decided to go all out.

“The whole day is dedicated to the Pope, with a tribute on all the networks, with the dissemination of archive images, testimonials from supporters.

We also had a fresco made in Dakar, which will be revealed in a documentary that we produced for our social networks.

And Sunday, there will be a minute of applause, through the soundtrack, and his photo broadcast on the big screen, ”says the club.

Pape Diouf with the minots of ASC Vivaux Sauvagère.

- Omar Keddadouche

“The tributes were thwarted by the Covid, it was more or less complicated to welcome people, says Omar Keddadouche.

But I would like a metro station, the Prado roundabout or a bend in the Velodrome stadium to bear his name.

It would be a tribute to the character's height.

He deserves it, and even if he did not win a title, he marked the history of the club ”.

"A necessary form of recognition"

A wish widely shared in the special report of the newspaper

La Marseillaise

on Pape Diouf, who has spent nearly a quarter of his professional life in this title as a sports journalist.

“We publish testimonies of several personalities who want a place to bear the name of Pape Diouf.

And in particular the Prado roundabout metro station which is the junction between the city and the stadium, but also the place where its journalism school is located, ”explains Léo Purguette, editor-in-chief of

La Marseillaise

.

The town hall indicates that it is necessary to wait five years after the death of the person before renaming a public place, but that "the elected officials have seized it".

"It is customary to wait a little, but faced with such an indisputable personality, which is not controversial, with a recognized career, it is a form of necessary recognition", slice Léo Purguette.

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