It’s not just football. The title already announces that this is not a book that only talks about football. In this autobiography, the president of the Reims Stadium
discusses his life, his personal and professional development. Over the course of some 300 pages, Jean-Pierre Caillot talks about himself, in the first person singular. A direct, autobiographical style, which makes it possible to better appreciate this evolution.
The president of Reims tells his story without ever falling into self-satisfaction. And by the way, it certainly tells the good times and the beautiful stories, but also the bad times and the failures. Without evading the mistakes he may have made as president of the Stade de Reims, mistakes he explains that he contained at the time they were made in order to protect the club, but a posteriori in this book, fully assumed . “One of the first things when we met Jean-Pierre was to say to ourselves that we weren’t going to do something solely on the 18 years of presidency of the Stade de Reims.” explains one of the co-authors Maxime Masson. “The idea was to talk about everything, his life, his childhood, his relationship with his parents, with his grandparents and his transport company. He tells himself, it’s an autobiography. And I think that ‘we can say that he sometimes puts himself a little bit in danger, in any case it’s not only his good times, there are also times when he takes a beating. Where I had the impression while writing it that he was putting himself in danger on certain things he was saying because once again, there are not only good times. There are times when it splits the shell and that’s what I think is also the strength of the book. This is not an autobiography to congratulate himself on what he achieved while omitting what he missed. It’s much more complete than that.”
The day he almost quit…
Throughout the pages, we discover the exciting rise of a business leader who will develop and diversify his transport company even drawing the logo during his marketing classes when he was a student. We learn and understand the construction of the Caillot group, which has gone from 1.8 million euros in turnover in 1984 to 70 million today, and above all this title of transporter of the year in 1993 is experienced as a family pride.
But obviously, these 18 years of presidency which have not always been easy are widely told. Many juicy details are thus revealed: behind the scenes of the arrival of Luis Fernandez in December 2008, the incessant pressure from Olivier Guegan to succeed Jean-Luc Vasseur in 2014 while clans formed in the locker room, the relations between Pierre Menès and Thierry Froger, the painful moments of strong popular pressure in 2005 when Jean-Pierre Caillot very nearly resigned. The anecdotes are numerous and the supporter or lover of the Stade de Reims will find their account. There are also good words or expressions like when in 2007, when the players launched a movement of discontent for stories of bonuses, he will answer them: “I’ve seen truck drivers burn truck tires before, but not Porsche Cayenne tires yet.”
A preface signed by Vincent Labrune
This book is constructed as a confession of the stages of a life. We talk about childhood, the relationship with a father, a student life, a very young married man at 20 and a young father at 21, an unfinished dream of becoming a journalist jock, and also the solidity of a family structure at the center of the success of this destiny. Apprenticeship of the function of president is also rich in lessons. Or how to learn from your mistakes when you discover the world of football, without any landmarks one day in 2004, an uncompromising environment, between agents, families, money. As if to remind us that beyond passion, not everything was a long calm river.
Finally, this book reminds us that football goes very fast, as we can often hear it said. Written before the dismissal of Oscar Garcia
, the words about the now former coach of Stade de Reims, may surprise. But left in their context, namely before this layoff, these words retain their full meaning.
Also note the preface by the president of the Professional Football League and former president of Olympique de Marseille, Vincent Labrune. The latter begins the book with a vibrant tribute and a true declaration of friendship and personal and professional respect.
France-Bleu Champagne-Ardenne offers you exclusively some excerpts from this 300-page book:
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- It’s not just football – Autobiography of Jean-Pierre Caillot
- Authors: Julien Lampin and Maxime Masson
- 300 pages
- Editions: Hugo Sports
- Exit : Thursday, November 3
- Price : 19.95 euros (digital version: 12.99 euros)
- Size: 15×22
- Proceeds from the book will be donated to a foundation that fights cancer.
The co-authors:
Julien Lampin is a journalist for Radio Jeunes Reims and France Bleu Champagne Ardenne, where he has commented on Stade de Reims matches every weekend since 2016.
Max Masson collaborates with many print, web and digital media. He is the author of 1987: Generation sacrificed?