50 years of the MHSC: Philippe Peybernes, a voice that counts in the shadow of the Nicollin family

Philippe Peybernes tient les comptes du club depuis quarante ans. Un rouage essentiel dans l'ombre de la famille Nicollin. Midi Libre – RICHARD DE HULLESSEN

General Manager since 1984, the club's essential linchpin, the man is one of Louis and then Laurent Nicollin's close friends. An essential cog, in the shadows, to build the club.

A Midi Libre special issue of 84 pages

Condensing half a century of history into 84 pages. This is the challenge taken up by the sports editorial team at Midi Libre in this special edition on the 50th anniversary of the MHSC. Available on newsstands for just €5, this glossy magazine will take you back to the great moments in the history of the Montpellier club through our “50” who made the MHSC. Players, coaches and builders, starting with this “Nicollin Saga”, told by Laurent and Colette, the wife of the late Loulou. A special edition packed with anecdotes and unpublished photos with an exclusive interview with Olivier Giroud.

A magazine of 84 pages Midi Libre

A Blake and Mortimer cover, paintings by one of his sons surround the photo of the winning team of the Coupe de France on the walls. In his office, which adjoins that of the president Laurent Nicollin, rises the murmur of the guitar of The Edge (U2), of David Gilmour (Pink Floyd)… A collector of comics, a fan of Jacques Tati, passionate about history and rock, the round ball seems falsely on the sidelines of Philippe Peybernes.

A rugby fan and supporter of Brive, the administrative director of Montpellier, in charge of finance, puts a filter with the devouring madness of the round ball. To better take a peripheral look that touches the heart of things and display an opinion that we listen to again. He has a voice that counts, that of the figures and the balance of a budget, but not only that.

“Laurent is more sensitive to finance than his father”

“Laurent, more sensitive to finance than his father, is very present, the athlete regulates with Bruno Carotti. As we are very, very close, I share my feelings with him, but I do not decide”, he qualifies.

A comic book fan. Midi Libre – SYLVIE CAMBON

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This pied noir, born in Oran in 1959, enjoys being away from a club long guided by a stage beast: Louis Nicollin. Smooth skull, soothing voice, he has been part of the landscape of La Paillade for forty years. And is looking forward to retirement next summer at the “end of a professional life where he never felt like he was working.”

“Loulou was always putting the pressure on”

A law graduate, Philippe Peybernes was about to join the Banque de France in 1984, when Louis Nicollin offered him a position as administrative manager. “I say yes against everyone's advice for the pleasure of being in the world of football. I was a bible in my adolescence. I set two conditions: take stock after a year and be paid minimum wage until then. We haven't seen each other again,” he says.

Read also: 50 years of the MHSC: Louis Nicollin, the incredible saga of a pack leader who became a triumphant patriarch

Phillipe Peybernes lives in the shadow of Louis Nicollin, accompanying him to all important meetings, especially with Mayor Georges Frêche. He keeps an eye on Louis, the modest one, Loulou, the media person, and the boss on permanent alert. “I am very happy to have known this extraordinary man in the true sense of the word. But, you had to put up with “the good president” on a daily basis, because he was very difficult at work. He was always putting pressure on.”

“For Louis, people went beyond the possible”

“Because of his charisma, people did things for him that went beyond the possible. Since I wanted to be unassailable, I didn't want to disappoint him. If I had had to leave after a year, I would have had a hard time getting over it”, he admits at the end of his career. “For a guy like me, who comes from a family of divorcees, he was also the image of the father. A bit of an Oedipal relationship.”

Also read: 50 years of the MHSC: Bernard Gasset, co-founder of the club, like a soul brother for Louis Nicollin

This lookout of the MHSC, with a natural authority, is on all the European trips that he makes, most often as a scout. And, saw all the great moments including the title in 2012. “It was beautiful for Louis”, said the one who refused to believe in the coronation until the last moment.

At the Philips factory in Eindhoven, the referee filled his trolley with equipment

As a fan of the sixties, he also remembers the official meal at Manchester United at the table of Bobby Charlton, an elegant legend of English football. And the visit to the Phillips factory in Eindhoven alongside Louis Nicollin and the Russian referee: Mr. Spirine. “He filled his cart with all sorts of equipment and we understood before our eyes the customs of the European Cup.”

Read also: 50 years of the MHSC: victory in the Cup, European epic, death of Bruno Martini… the contrasting memories of Pascal Baills

Philippe Peybernes is respected by all, but feared by the coaches whose contract terminations he records. “I saw him only once on the edge of the training ground, but I remember it”, smiles Pascal Baills, co-coach in 2004 alongside Gérard Bernardet and Ghislain Printant. He carried the president's message, his call-up to Mas and the imminent separation. Not always a good role in the army of shadows.

Read also: 50 years of MHSC: “Until his last breath, he will be by my side”, Michel Mézy forever at the right hand of the father

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