Former Olympique Marseille attacking midfielder Abedi Ayew Pele has described Olympique Marseille Ex-President Bernard Tapie’s act which lured him to Marseille as incredible.
Abedi in an exclusive interview with Kasapa FM’s Alexander Anyankwaa says, “I was completely zoned out with regards to that decision by whilom Olympique Marseille President Bernard Tapie.”
“I was totally oblivious when it comes to that issue but he went too far. I feel he overstepped his boundaries if his real intention was to ward off competition from rivals. I am very glad the truth has been revealed now making whatever was said impertinently.” Abedi told Kasapa Sports
The Former president Bernard Tapie Speaking to journalists at Le Monde, Fabrice Lhomme, and Gerard Davet last Friday, revealed how his club succeeded in signing the African prodigy Abedi Ayew Pele in 1987 from Mulhouse at the expense of rivals AS Monaco – by deploying a bizarre strategy that worked well.
The former Presidents says Pele was the subject a transfer saga as the principality club and Tapie’s Marseille competed in the market for the signature of the Ghanaian playmaker and Tapie knew the only way his club was going to win the battle was to deploy a master plan that Pele had AIDS.
Tapie said with Pele scheduled to undergo a medical test at AS Monaco, he, conspired with an official of AS Monaco to concoct a falsehood that the Ghanaian player was HIV positive as that will end Monaco’s interest in the player.
Tapie’s revelations go on to confirm public perceptions that the game is never a clean sport and serious things happen behind the scenes that could only come to public knowledge by some of these disclosures.
Meanwhile, Marseille was stripped of a Ligue 1 title in 1993 for allegedly fixing a league game against Valenciennes before their Champions League final versus AC Milan which the French side won.
Marseille later suffered the demotion in France due to the match fixing as Tapei himself was slapped with a 2-year prison sentence for financial irregularities.