He spent sixty-two years in the service of football in Montluçon

The there are people without whom football clubs would not be what they are. Michel Duchatelet is one of them. At almost 75 years old, this native of Doyet can no longer count the hours spent taking care of the sport he loves so much.

It is in his small apartment that he welcomes us. His glasses on his nose revealing his sparkling eyes filled with memories. After a playing career, at the Saint-Victor club for eight years then at Cerilly’s club for eleven years, this football lover then began another adventure as an educator, coach and manager.

“The club was
my second home ”

He put his bags for eight years at the flagship club of Montluçon, the EDSM, where he was omnipresent. Before leaving in 1987 to go to the neighbor of AS Montluçon. That is a total of sixty-two in the service of football.

Michel, why did you leave the EDSM? I went to AS Montluçon to have even more freedom and be able to accomplish my ideas. I became president of the youth commission, helped by leaders like Léonce Tinet, Jacky Autissier, Roland Thomas and Jean-Michel Lepineux. I am surely forgetting, my memory sometimes fails me. I was able to start a complete renovation of the young people.

Why were you called the “Deputy Chairman”? I tried to breathe new life into it with my own strategy. For me, a club must develop through its youth teams. You build a house starting with the foundation, not the roof! I have always been followed by the presidents of the time, René Auroux and Jean-Claude Groslière. We experienced something magical, by organizing tournaments, playing Santa Claus, taking all the children from the club to see matches in Saint-Étienne… Well, at that time it was fabulous. The atmosphere, the friendliness … The club was my second home.

Have you spent your life at AS Montluçon? Yes I spent thirty years there. The last years I was in charge of sponsorship. I am sad at the end because the club has disappeared and I am very touched. There were structures, competent leaders… What a waste. I was already 70 years old at the time, but if the adventure had continued I might have continued too.

Do you have no regrets? Yes, I think if I was 30 today I might do something else or otherwise. But we always say that.

Now what are you doing? I am truly retired. Every day I will buy The mountain to read sports articles, football. And I’m going to play cards with some friends. We always talk about football and the conversations are sometimes heated.

– .