Journalist and TV columnist for nearly 50 years, Didier Roustan died on Wednesday. He leaves behind the image of a man passionate about his profession, with an original and free speech.
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He was one of the great names in French sports journalism. Presenter of “Téléfoot”, editor-in-chief of “Stade 2”, and “president” of the show “L’Équipe du Soir”, Didier Roustan died at the age of 66, Wednesday, September 11, following an illness. Born in Brazzaville, Congo, the football enthusiast had a rich career in journalism and was involved in various associations to defend the cause of players and fight against racism and discrimination. The world of football offers him a final tribute.
“He was a football lover and a revolutionary in journalism.reacted Michel Platini to L’Equipe. He arrived after Thierry Roland and before Thierry Gilardi, with his own style, his voice, his passion for South America, and his good knowledge of football. We were buddies, but not friends, I was probably a bit too normal for him (smile)… He preferred Diego or Canto. He was really a good person.” Jean-Michel Larqué, former captain of Saint-Etienne and consultant, speaks on Europe 1 about a “football poet, an idealist”.
The Greens club, which was at the top of national football when Didier Roustan started out, speaks of him as of “a football lover, a fan of the stands… Raised by Saint-Etienne football”. OGC Nice rents a “unique character”, with “beautiful words and beautiful stories”. Georgian Georges Mikautadze, on his social networks, retains “a great journalist but above all a great man” and asks him to watch “about the football we all love.”
Dominique Grimault, his former colleague at Téléfoot on TF1, mentions “a friend more than a colleague, whose style was atypical and his love for the history of football immense“. Roger Zabel, his successor as presenter of Téléfoot, speaks of a “lovely colleague” who had encouraged him to take over.
On the airwaves of Europe 1, Michel Denisot appeared very touched by his disappearance: “We had a very strong bond, I find it very difficult to talk about him now… We were very close since we formed a duo of commentators for several years. There was a special bond.“
“He brought a lot to the show. [Téléfoot]. He was a man of magazines, more than of directs, even if he mastered both to perfection. He defended football in an extraordinary way“, remembers, moved, Dominique Le Glou, former journalist and editor-in-chief of “Stade 2”, with whom he worked. On his social networks, Laurent Luyat, with whom he was associated for five years in the show “Côté match” on France 2, paints the portrait of “a colorful, passionate, funny character, and obviously a huge football expert“.
The Union National Association of Professional Footballers (UNFP) sent its condolences to the family of the “passionate about football, the beautiful game, the players, and the beautiful stories“. Didier Roustan was at the origin of the creation, with Eric Cantona and Diego Maradona, his lifelong idol, of the International Association of Professional Players to defend their cause.