On May 5, 1992, a stand collapsed in the Furiani stadium, in Corsica. That day, 19 people died and 2,357 were injured. OM commentator on France Bleu Provence, Avi Assouly is a survivor. He tells.
This Wednesday evening, at the Vélodrome, the players will wear a black armband and a minute of silence will be observed before the match OM-Feyenoord Rotterdam, in memory of the victims of Furiani.
Thirty years to the day after the biggest disaster in French football. To the time, the Marseilles Avi Assouly comments on OM matches on France bleu Provence.
This May 5, 1992, he is with 35 other journalists in the temporary stand hastily cobbled together for the semi-final of Chopped off of France Bastia-OM at the stadium Armand Cesari.
About fifty fractures, three weeks of coma, five operations, it is a miracle of Furiani. He tells us about the moment when his life changed, that day, a few minutes before kick-off.
- When you arrived at Furiani that day, everything was as usual?
No, it wasn’t as usual, because we were tired. OM were on all counts, we were coming back from Europe, they were leaving for Chopped off of France, there was the championship.
usually I leave the day before, we sleep there, and the next day we have the match, and there, I was so tired that I took the last plane to be in Bastia around 5:30 p.m. The taxi picked me up, I dropped off my suitcase at the hotel, I took my Nagra and my accreditationand here I am again at the stadium, Furiani.
There were people, I saw these things, these bits of iron, these things. We said to ourselves « it’s still weird, it happened so quickly ». We said to ourselves, « Okay, it’s fine, security has passed, the prefecture said okaywe sis said it’s goodnot« .
We trusted, we rode youout up thereyou, even, we were joking, jand believe it is Fasano who said to Dand Rock: « You will write me a good paper that I was a Great journalist ».
And here we are, 17 meters high, among the supporters. And we had fear, mostly agricultural bombs, public.
- How was the atmosphere?
It was hot! Incredible! The atmosphere was very tense. It was very aggressive. Not hatred, but the people of Bastia who said « we’re going to kill you, we’re going to beat you ». I was more afraid of the public than of the catastrophe.
And then at 8:18 p.m., I hear the announcer saying: « don’t hit the metal structures, hasattention, notand don’t type ». People stamped their feet, he told them « stop! »
To 8:19 p.m., I put my hand like this, up, and some kind of board or iron fell. I thought to myself « what the hell is that? ». It was already starting to move.
And I have a little live at 8:20 p.m., because the match was at 8:30 p.m. Iand says « Hello, there to the public, it’s hot, we can barely distinguish the players ». And I say something premonitory, I say: « I hope that at the end of the match, I will still be there ».
In my mind, it was that they don’t hit me, if OM put a penalty, we were afraid and that and thens, crash…
- And after, it’s the black hole?
I remember Alain Sultanian the physiotherapistwho came, who grabbed my hand, he said to me « Avi, HASvIdon’t go away, stay with us, I want not that you are leaving, stay with us. »
The players had taken me to take the helicopter. And we transported me to Ajaccio, to the Miséricorde hospital, but I was unconscious.
Pascal Olmeta even made a paper where he said « Avihe is dead, he put the sheet over his face and the sheet moved ».
And carpet with casoniwith Pascal, with the players, with Loversthey sent me to Ajaccio. And I woke up 21 days later, in Marseille, in La Timone. I was in a coma.
- You vwe wake up and afters ?
I wake up and I don’t remember anything, I know when I fell. It was bucket seats, I grab myself on them and see all my life. I was 40 at the time and saw my whole life go by, my brother, my sisterstheir marriages, mare parents, the birthand of my son, my children. All my life has passed.
I woke up 21 days later with all you know vertebrae…I thought I was even going to be paralyzed. Eight months later, I was on wheelchairhere.
- QWhen you learn what happened, do you realize?
NOTwe don’t evensI have a tracheostomy, tubes everywhere, I’m burst. They left me for dead. Carpet is passe nous see Iwas listening, but I couldn’t speak, I came close to paralysis.
- And today, 30 years later?
In the book (editor’s note « Furiani20 years »), ten years ago, I said II’m 20 years olds. Today I have 30 years of bonus. I am a living miracle.