Former OM captain Mamadou Niang on the LREM lists in Marseille

• Former Olympique de Marseille captain Mamadou Niang will be on the lists of La République en Marche in the 15th and 16th arrondissements for the next municipal elections.
• Yvon Berland, the LREM candidate, wishes to go beyond the sole image of the high-level footballer thanks to the civic and associative commitments of Mamadou Niang.
• He hopes to encourage young and old alike to participate in these elections to "get things moving in the right direction".

The Republic on the Move and OM, a love story that is confirmed. The former captain and champion of France 2010 with the Marseille Olympique, Mamadou Niang, is a candidate in the municipal elections of Marseille for LREM alongside Yvon Berland. He will appear in the 15th and 16 arrondissements of Marseille, on the list of Saïd Ahamada. “I put myself at the service of Yvon Berland and the Marseillaise population with the desire to change things in this city which has a lot of needs. I share the same ideas as Yvon [Berland] and Saïd [Ahamada], and this desire to make things happen in a good way ”, he confides to 20 Minutes.

A nice “coup” on the part of LREM as Mamadou Niang is a symbol of Olympique de Marseille, and more generally of the city. But Yvon Berland wants to go beyond the image of “Mamad '” footballer, as he calls it, while being aware of the asset he can represent. “He is a great figure and captain of OM, it counts in Marseille. But what is even more important is that we have someone who, beyond football in his career, has become involved as a citizen in the associative world with important work in certain districts of the city. Finally, it is as much the committed citizen who brings his reputation to the city, as the footballer that we want to highlight, "he considers.

"I need to chat with the whole city"

Armed with this commitment, and with this aura, Mamadou Niang will continue the process he has already undertaken as sports director of Athletico de Marseille, a position he keeps in tandem with this new battle. “When I was a footballer, and since I stopped, I have been involved in politics. For me, it's helping people, seeing what they need and, on my small scale, trying to help people. That's what we do with Athletico. We have a lot of kids who come from disadvantaged neighborhoods, but we help them get out of this context and give themselves a future. I want to meet them, discuss with them, encourage them to register on the electoral lists, and to go to vote. If they don't vote, it's not because they don't want to, it's because they don't know anything. But I'm not going to stay in my sector, I need to chat with the whole city, ”says the former striker.

Municipal in 2020 in Marseille: Jackson Richardson, Frédérick Bousquet, Maud Fontenoy ... Why do politicians love sports stars on their list? https://t.co/0Nc7Q8iWWL via @ 20minutesmars pic.twitter.com/RQbj1GocxA

Said Ahamada, head of the list in the sector and deputy for the northern districts, is convinced that these qualities will bring citizens back to politics and beat the National Rally, already at the head of the 13th and 14th arrondissements. “It can be a strong symbol for all those who are in these territories and who want the city to change. Let them say to themselves "OK, I can do it too, I can do it too. Mamad is committed, Saïd is committed, Yvon is committed, why not me?" This is what we want to wake up in this city, because we will not be able to change it alone, ”he wishes.

A dinner with Emmanuel Macron

Mamadou Niang's commitment was born during a dinner with Emmanuel Macron, a big fan of OM and very attentive to the situation in Marseille. “During a dinner, he gave me the floor, he let me stay myself, say things with my words. We were able to discuss the problems there were in Marseille and that's what I liked. Subsequently, we met with Yvon, we discussed a lot and it turned out that we shared the same ideas ”, he relates.

🤔 "Stars" on the lists at # Municipales2020 in #Marseille why not? But I think our city deserves a substantive municipal campaign. Above all, we need solutions to everyday problems and not just symbols or alibis. pic.twitter.com/9eCeecZ3wf

Like the great sportsman, and the big winner that he is, he knows what skills to mobilize. “I come with all my energy for the future for this campaign. I am someone who believes in me, I will give my best to reach out to people, and make them realize that it is important to vote to make things happen. Marseille needs change, we all know, but nobody does anything. Today, Yvon is there to make a difference, but I am here to do it too. Said has worked there for years. The three of us are going to thwart the predictions. We're here to win. "He will not do figuration," warns Said Ahamada.

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• municipal
• Marseilles
• OM
• LREM
• Elections
• Mamadou niang