Bernard Tapie
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Bernard Roger Tapie (; 26 January 1943 – 3 October 2021) was a French businessman, politician and occasional actor, singer, and TV host. He was Minister of City Affairs in the government of Pierre Bérégovoy. He was the manager of a group of companies, notably owner of
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and ''Olympique de Marseille'', manager of the Bernard Tapie Group and owner of the ''La Provence'' Group, which publishes the newspaper of the same name, as well as '' Corse-Matin''. At the beginning of 1984, he presented his cycling team ''La Vie claire'', then bought OM a few years later. In the 1990s, engaged in politics as a left-wing radical, he was twice Minister of the City in the Bérégovoy government, deputy for
Bouches-du-Rhône Bouches-du-Rhône ( ; , ; ; "the Mouths of the Rhône") is a Departments of France, department in southern France. It borders Vaucluse to the north, Gard to the west and Var (department), Var to the east. The Mediterranean Sea lies to the sout ...
twice, European deputy (his list obtained 12% in the 1994 elections) as well as general councilor for Bouches-du-Rhône. His political career ended due to his legal troubles. Involved in several financial scandals, he was convicted in the VA-OM affair (for which he was imprisoned in 1997 for nearly six months), in the Phocéa affair and in the Testut affair. In the 2010s, following an arbitration condemning the State to pay him 403 million euros in compensation in the context of the ''Crédit Lyonnais'' affair, he was prosecuted again, his death putting an end to the criminal proceedings.


Life and career

Tapie was born in Paris. He was a businessman who specialized in recovering bankrupt companies, among which
Adidas Adidas AG (; stylized in all lowercase since 1949) is a German athletic apparel and footwear corporation headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, Germany. It is the largest sportswear manufacturer in Europe, and the second largest in the ...
is the most famous (he owned Adidas from 1990 to 1993); and owner of sports teams: his cycling team La Vie Claire won the Tour de France twice – in 1985 and 1986 – and his football club
Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...
won the French championship four times in a row, and the Champions League in 1993. La Vie Claire, one of Tapie's former businesses, is a chain of health product stores. It sponsored one of the strongest cycling teams of all time, La Vie Claire, which was founded after the 1983 European cycling season, when multiple
Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage cycle sport, bicycle race held primarily in France. It is the oldest and most prestigious of the three Grand Tour (cycling), Grand Tours, which include the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a ...
winner
Bernard Hinault Bernard Hinault (; born 14 November 1954) is a French former professional road bicycle racing, road cyclist. With 147 professional victories, including five times the Tour de France, he is often named among the greatest cyclists of all time. In ...
had acrimoniously broken away from the Renault–Elf–Gitane team. Hinault and
Greg LeMond Gregory James LeMond (born June 26, 1961) is an American former Road bicycle racing, road racing cyclist. He won the Tour de France thrice and the UCI Road World Championships – Men's road race, Road Race World Championship twice, becoming t ...
won successive Tours with the La Vie Claire team in 1985 and 1986. From 1986 to 1994, Tapie was the president of the
Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
club, which became champions of France five times in a row (from
1989 1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...
to
1993 The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as: * International Year for the World's Indigenous People The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...
) and won the
1992–93 UEFA Champions League The 1992–93 UEFA Champions League, originally known as the 1992–93 European Cup, was the 38th UEFA Champions League, European Cup, the premier European club Association football, football tournament, and the first season with the UEFA Champio ...
. In 1985, Tapie bought the sailing ship ''Club Méditerrannée'' from the wife of disappeared French navigator Alain Colas. The boat was transported to Marseille, where Tapie had his football team, and restored for two years. It was renamed '' Phocea'' and was at that time the longest sailing ship in the world (). Tapie took command of it with a new crew in 1988 and broke the world record for crossing the Atlantic Ocean. In 2021, Tapie and his wife were severely beaten in a home invasion robbery.


Controversies

In 1993, the same year that
Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...
won the Champions League, he was accused of fixing the match between his club and minor club
Valenciennes Valenciennes (, also , , ; ; or ; ) is a communes of France, commune in the Nord (French department), Nord Departments of France, department, Hauts-de-France, France. It lies on the Scheldt () river. Although the city and region experienced ...
; the motivation seemed to be that he could thus save his best players for important matches and not waste their energy. His club was stripped of its French league championship, although not of the Champions League title, and later suffered a forced relegation to the second division because of this match-fixing suspicion. In 1994, Tapie was under criminal investigation for complicity of corruption and witness tampering. After a high-profile case against public prosecutor Éric de Montgolfier, he was sentenced in 1995 by the
Court of Appeals An appellate court, commonly called a court of appeal(s), appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to hear a case upon appeal from a trial court or other lower tribunal. Appellat ...
of
Douai Douai ( , , ; ; ; formerly spelled Douay or Doway in English) is a city in the Nord (French department), Nord département in northern France. It is a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture of the department. Located on the river Scarpe (rive ...
to two years in prison, including 8 months non-suspended and three years of deprivation of his civic rights. From 1993 to 2008, there was a long legal battle between Tapie and the state-owned Crédit Lyonnais bank. Crédit Lyonnais had defrauded Tapie in 1993 and 1994 when it sold
Adidas Adidas AG (; stylized in all lowercase since 1949) is a German athletic apparel and footwear corporation headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, Germany. It is the largest sportswear manufacturer in Europe, and the second largest in the ...
on his behalf to Robert Louis-Dreyfus, apparently by arranging a larger sale with Dreyfus without Tapie's knowledge. A 600-million-franc (90-million-euro) sum was granted in 1995 by the French justice system, and after an appeal from Crédit Lyonnais the Appeal Court increased the sanction to 150 million Euros in 2005. This ruling was partially dismissed in
Cassation A court of cassation is a high-instance court that exists in some judicial systems. Courts of cassation do not re-examine the facts of a case; they only interpret the relevant law. In this, they are appellate courts of the highest instance. In ...
. In 2008, a special judicial panel ruled that Tapie should receive compensation of €404 million from the French Ministry of Finance, headed by Christine Lagarde. She decided not to challenge the ruling. On 3 December 2015, a French court ruled that Tapie should return this compensation with interest. A few days later, the Court of Justice of the Republic ordered that Lagarde should stand trial for negligence. On 19 December 2016, Lagarde was convicted of negligence; however, the conviction was not deemed a criminal record and Lagarde was not sentenced to any punishment. In 2012, the new French government held by the socialists announced they would challenge in courts the Arbitrage sentence ruled in favor of Tapie under the presidency of
Nicolas Sarkozy Nicolas Paul Stéphane Sarközy de Nagy-Bocsa ( ; ; born 28 January 1955) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2007 to 2012. In 2021, he was found guilty of having tried to bribe a judge in 2014 to obtain information ...
. After four years of new trials, the Arbitrage was canceled on the basis of a "suspected fraud" in the nomination and impartiality of one of the three judges who ruled in favor of Tapie. In 2019, a criminal case was conducted against Tapie and the suspected judge concluded there was no fraud and the arbitrage was fully legal. The French authorities, supervised by the French government, appealed this decision. After 26 years of proceedings, this legal battle was still ongoing at the time of Tapie's death in 2021.


Acquisitions

Tapie made his fortune in the late 1970s and 1980s by acquiring bankrupt companies. The first companies that he purchased were paper companies Duverger and Diguet-Denis. Later came larger companies such as Leclanché Wonder – a large producer of batteries. He later sold this company to Ucar. In 1990, Tapie purchased Adidas for nearly 1.6 billion francs (equivalent to € million in ). He took up a loan syndicated with a banking pool with a majority of foreign banks (German and Japanese banks for the main part), and in minority from French backers, in particular with the SdBO, the subsidiary of Crédit Lyonnais group hidden for several years. In 1995, Adidas was listed on the Stock Exchange for a valuation of 11 billion francs, nearly six times the price paid by Robert to Tapie to acquire it. He subsequently had a number of legal difficulties associated with the sale of the company, conducted by the French state-owned Crédit Lyonnais, which was subsequently sanctioned for lack of loyalty (by not informing Tapie he could sell the company at a much higher price than Crédit Lyonnais declared) and for breaching the obligation not to buy the company themselves. (Crédit Lyonnais used offshore companies to buy Adidas on their behalf but without declaring it.) The Tapie group, through Bernard Tapie's son Laurent Tapie, who had formed a company in the sports betting company that he sold in 2008, also tried to dabble in the
online poker Online poker is the game of poker played over the Internet. It has been partly responsible for a huge increase in the number of poker players worldwide. Christiansen Capital Advisors stated online poker revenues grew from $82.7 million in 2001 t ...
world when Laurent Tapie tried to acquire Full Tilt Poker; however, they were unable to negotiate a deal with the
United States Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a United States federal executive departments, federal executive department of the U.S. government that oversees the domestic enforcement of Law of the Unite ...
, and the deal fell through.


Media

In 1995, Tapie turned to artistic endeavors because he was unable to pursue his previous interests: he was personally bankrupt and therefore unable to pursue business ventures, he was declared ineligible to run for political office, and he was banned from football. The first thing he turned to was film. He starred, together with
Fabrice Luchini Fabrice Luchini (; born Robert Luchini; 1 November 1951) is a French stage and film actor. He has appeared in films such as '' Potiche'', '' The Women on the 6th Floor'', and '' In the House''. Life and career Fabrice Luchini was born in Paris, ...
, in
Claude Lelouch Claude Barruck Joseph Lelouch (; born 30 October 1937) is a French film director, writer, cinematographer, actor and producer. Lelouch grew up in an Algerian Jewish family. He emerged as a prominent director in the 1960s. Lelouch gained critical ...
's 1996 movie '' Hommes, femmes, mode d'emploi'' (''Men, Women: A User's Manual''). In 1998, Tapie collaborated on a song written by
Doc Gynéco Bruno Beausir (; born May 10, 1974), known by his stage name Doc Gynéco (), is a French hip hop musician. His music is typically characterized as a ragga/ rap style, that has found its fan base in France. Early life, family and education Bor ...
, "C'est beau la vie". In 2000, he made his debut as a theater actor, receiving great reviews from French critics for his re-enactment of
Jack Nicholson John Joseph Nicholson (born April 22, 1937) is an American retired actor and filmmaker. Nicholson is widely regarded as one of the greatest actors of the 20th century, often playing rebels fighting against the social structure. Over his five-de ...
's role of Randle McMurphy in '' One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest''. In 2001, a documentary titled ''Who is Bernard Tapie?'' was produced by American filmmaker Marina Zenovich. From 2001 to 2005, Tapie acted in theater plays and appeared in the French TV series ''Valence'' as a police chief. In 2018, Tapie was diagnosed with double cancer (stomach and esophagus). He was later treated in France and in Belgium, partially with experimental treatments. In 2023, Netflix released the biographical limited series ''Class Act''.


Death

In the morning of 3 October 2021, his family announced that he had died at the age of 78. Tapie had been suffering from stomach cancer for several years. President
Emmanuel Macron Emmanuel Jean-Michel Frédéric Macron (; born 21 December 1977) is a French politician who has served as President of France and Co-Prince of Andorra since 2017. He was Ministry of Economy and Finance (France), Minister of Economics, Industr ...
, a lifelong supporter of
Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...
, expressed his condolences to Tapie's family in a statement, saying he and his wife "have been touched by the news of the death of Bernard Tapie, whose ambition, energy and enthusiasm were a source of inspiration for generations of French people".
Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...
said in a statement: "Olympique de Marseille learned with deep sadness of the passing of Bernard Tapie. He will leave a great void in the hearts of the Marseillais and will forever remain in the legend of the club."


See also

* Mouna Ayoub * Phocéa


References


External links


Integral arbitration decision in the Tapie's case 2008

affairetapie.info

Bernard Tapie hearing about the Adidas case arbitration

Jean Peyrelevade (former president of Crédit Lyonnais) hearing about the Adidas case arbitration

Hervé Causse's analysis
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tapie, Bernard 1943 births 2021 deaths 20th-century French businesspeople 20th-century French male actors 21st-century French male actors Adidas people Businesspeople from Paris Deaths from stomach cancer in France Chairmen and investors of football clubs in France Deputies of the 10th National Assembly of the French Fifth Republic Deputies of the 9th National Assembly of the French Fifth Republic Government ministers of France Male actors from Paris Musicians from Paris Olympique de Marseille chairmen Politicians from Paris Radical Party of the Left politicians Sportspeople from Paris French actor-politicians