Jean-François Soucasse (center), here in 2012 alongside Thierry Dusautoir during a handball match for the French team in Toulouse.

-

FREDERIC LANCELOT / SIPA

  • Two days after the announcement of the departure of Xavier Thuilot, GM of the Greens and close to Claude Puel, ASSE formalized Tuesday its replacement, Jean-François Soucasse.

  • Former player of the Greens from 1995 to 1998, he comes out of 19 years spent at TFC with various positions.

  • Target of Toulouse supporters for two years, it nevertheless leaves good memories to Elie Baup, coach of the TFC from 2006 to 2008.

The community manager of ASSE had to tear his hair out on Tuesday, discovering the content of the 150 responses to his tweet announcing the signing of Jean-François Soucasse as general manager of the services of the Saint-Etienne club.

Two days after the departure of Sainté from Xavier Thuilot, the supporters of the Greens even received many messages of support from their Toulouse counterparts, who claimed the head of Jean-François Soucasse during his last two seasons at TFC.

Teasing, some even offered to lend the huge “Soucasse clears” tarpaulin released at the Stadium in May 2019, during a match against OM.

We lend it to you if you want pic.twitter.com/wfmOLX7gnD

- Darth Fisto (@Dark_Fisto) January 12, 2021

A strong symbolic image of the break between Jean-François Soucasse and Toulouse fans, especially because of the management of overflows during a TFC-Losc match decisive for the maintenance in May 2018. By filing a complaint against his own supporters afterwards This episode, the new GM of the Greens had in particular put the group of Indians back for good.

"A studious and rigorous player"

During his first stint in Forez, as a player from Saint-Etienne during a delicate period (a relegation at the end of the 1995-96 season then the D2 from 1996 to 1998), Jean-François Soucasse had left a much less divisive image.

“He was a midfielder, sometimes even lateral, above all studious and rigorous, remembers his former coach Elie Baup, who had brought him in.

He lacked a bit of offensive talent but he was a valuable team player.

"

Initiated by a master's degree in sports management in Toulouse, his post-career began with an end-of-study internship at TFC, his first professional club, where Olivier Sadran appointed him director of the training center in 2001, then general manager club assistant since 2004. It is in this role that Elie Baup finds him, during his two years as coach of a Toulouse third in L1 (in 2007).

"He's someone very intelligent, with him there is no confusion, assures the coach with the cap.

He has the same personality as as a player: he doesn't like to put himself forward.

Don't rely on him to search the headlines or social media.

"

"His silence has clearly tarnished his image"

A discretion that may have harmed him during his 19 years in the offices of the TFC, completed by the arrival of the new president Damien Comolli and the American investment fund RedBird Capital Partners last summer.

"Jean-François Soucasse has always claimed the fact of not being a com man," explains Yves Dussert, president of the association for the defense of the interests of Toulouse supporters.

But this choice of silence clearly damaged the image of Soucasse as well as that of Sadran.

He was however very available to meet with us on fan issues, but totally absent for public speaking.

"

Relegation to Ligue 2 at the end of last season is partly blamed for him.

“When I was a coach in Toulouse [from 2006 to 2008], he did not take care of the athlete but the administrative part, insists Elie Baup.

So we didn't have any real interaction.

President Sadran was the real

boss

.

Maybe that changed afterwards.

»Managing director of the club since 2008 then deputy chairman from 2016, with the perspective of Olivier Sadran, did Jean-François Soucasse have a major role in this tumble of the TFC?

"He will find his place at ASSE"

“The club's sporting record is catastrophic and this has been blamed on it by most supporters,” notes Yves Dussert.

But he only took care of the administrative part and the TFC never had a problem with the DNCG.

"The latter also wonders about the" anti-smoke "position of Jean-François Soucasse in Toulouse, with the filing of a complaint:" Was it his personal vision or the presidential instructions?

".

The context of the boiling Saint-Etienne kops (when they can finally reopen) could therefore reveal another posture on the part of the DG of services.

ASSE: Smoke, sometimes “absurd” bans… Why are Saint-Etienne supporters “in the eye of the storm”?

https://t.co/jyLZGqKP5X pic.twitter.com/LO2MtWHvba

- 20 Minutes (@ 20Minutes) September 14, 2018

"He will find his place at ASSE, assures Elie Baup.

He took the time to discover all the inner workings, he has a very good relationship with the National League.

And then he is very

corporate

with his club, perfect in terms of his uprightness.

“It will take him to put the Saint Etienne club in the right direction, after the choice of Roland Romeyer to separate from Xavier Thuilot.

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