He was known as the deputy mayor of the city of Nice and as the head of Opam, but for several seasons now, Gilbert Stellardo has been more likely found at Ray Stadium or near the training grounds of the red and black club located in the Plaine du Var.
To learn more about his passion for the city of Nice and for its iconic club, Nice Premiรจre met with one of the most famous outcasts of Nice’s city hall.
Nice Premiรจre: Gilbert Stellardo, how do you feel about this new season in red and black?
Gilbert Stellardo: I feel the team is in good shape. Fred (Antonetti)’s work is paying off, and all the players are witnessing significant improvement, both technically and physically.
As I like to say, hard work always pays off, and the team should maintain its position in the top half of the league; anything beyond that is a bonus. In terms of reinforcements, we focused more on quality over quantity to form a serious group. I am, moreover, very pleased that Cรฉdric Varraut is staying at the club, despite a difficult end to the season with some of the Nice fans.
NP: Speaking of which, a portion of the Nice fans tends to “hold a grudge” against their players (Varraut, Grรฉgorini…). What do you think about this?
GS: Damien is a strong, hardworking boy with excellent morals. Admittedly, he went through a rough patch last year, but I am convinced that it is not up to the public to judge a player but up to the coach who then makes the appropriate decisions.
One thing is certain, I would be very tough on a player who is not serious and who does not respect the rules of conduct that a professional should follow.
NP: Let’s return to the issue that has all the gym lovers talking: The new stadium?
GS: It’s very troublesome for the club because we risk falling at least 18 months behind. I am very happy that a new stadium is being built in Nice, even though I would not have chosen this method of financing if I had been the financial deputy. As for a stadium at Ray, I was not really in favor because it would have forced us to play one or two years at a stadium outside of Nice, and that is not the best solution.
NP: How do you envision the OGC Nice of tomorrow?
OGC Nice must be the leading club reference in the department.
I am convinced that we must think on a departmental level in order to create a major representative club and not fall into a pointless war of cities.
But OGC Nice must also continue to open up to local training clubs, not through poaching, but rather through consolidating existing relationships.
Maurice Cohen is also working in this direction, which can only benefit the club.
NP: You’ve also recently joined the oval family of Nice. Are you also passionate about rugby?
How could I not be when I knew the famous Racing Rugby Club of Nice and its President Alain Mรฉarelli. I’ve always followed Nice rugby and after its unfortunate descent to hell, it seems that the oval in Nice is picking up color again.
Our project is to reach Pro B in three years and then, we will have to revise our strategy because if a season costs 2/3 million euros in Pro D2, we approach 10/15 million for a season in the famous TOP 14. For now, we need to focus on the rugby school, which is and will be the reservoir for Nice’s rugby future.
NP: Lastly, what is your opinion of Nice sports in general?
I distinguish two sports in Nice: professional and amateur.
As I said, professional sport should be reasoned at a departmental level because it is not reasonable to have multiple major professional clubs in the same department of Alpes Maritimes. This would allow for a redistribution of tasks with the department and thus have a real sports structure.
In terms of amateur sports, I wish for the people of Nice to be able to practice the sports they desire. Unfortunately, local facilities are sometimes lacking, even though people like Christophe Lotigiรฉ are doing remarkable work within the Nice City Hall to structure Nice sports for the locals.
It is certain that we would like to have many more major sporting events in Nice but as you know, Nice is always the “sub-product” of Marseille and it is not easy to find sponsors to finance these types of events, which would however be beneficial for the image of the city of Nice.
