more than 2,000 people expected for a tribute ceremony in Châteauroux

Matisse’s funeral is organized in Châteauroux on Tuesday.

More than 2,000 people are expected on Tuesday May 7 at the Gaston-Petit stadium in Châteauroux (Indre) for a tribute ceremony in memory of Matisse, who was stabbed to death on Saturday April 27 in the Saint-Denis district of Châteauroux, France Bleu has learned Berry. The funeral of the 15-year-old will take place Tuesday afternoon, two days after a white march which brought together more than 8,000 people.

This public ceremony is organized, from 1 p.m., on the theme of football, Matisse’s passion. Family, friends, but also the Berrichons affected by this tragedy, will gather at the Gaston-Petit stadium on the Intermarché stand, from 12:30 p.m. A highly symbolic place, explains Mayor Gil Avérous: “It is both commensurate with the trauma that the city has experienced, but it is also commensurate with the tribute we owe to Matisse. Matisse loved football, it is our emblematic place, It’s our own football jewel.” The teenager’s football club, Étoile, does not have a stand, but “there will be a strong gathering” with the young people of the Star who “are going to make a guard of honor for Matisse and it will be a poignant moment”, predicted the mayor.

A signed Berrichonne jersey

Two giant screens are to project photos of the boy during the ceremony. The captain of La Berrichonne will come and place a signed jersey on Matisse’s coffin, described by France Bleu Berry. Then parents, relatives and teachers will pay tribute to this CFA student who was destined to become a chef, his second passion. The ceremony will be secular, although with the reading of a religious text.

The coffin must then leave the stadium after a final ola. The family will then retire around 2 p.m. for a final intimate tribute. In this case, the investigation is still ongoing. His alleged attacker, a minor of the same age, was indicted for “murder” and placed in pre-trial detention.