Amine Kessaci: Selling the Vélodrome would be like giving up the Bonne Mère | OneFootball

Amine Kessaci, 22, has become a protected public figure in Marseille after his family’s ordeal at the hands of narcotraffickers. He agreed to discuss OM, popular culture and the social role of footballers.

According to L'Équipe, the young deputy at Marseille city hall has fought drug trafficking since 2020, when his brother Brahim was found dead with his body burned.

Another brother, Mehdi, was killed by six bullets on 13 November 2025, in an attack carried out by a commando of killers.

Kessaci does not pretend to be a football obsessive. He cannot recite OM’s 1993 European title line-up or dissect the tactical options of Roberto De Zerbi, Marseille’s coach who left in February.

His focus sits beyond fandom, shaped by the violence that has struck his family and his city.

Source: L'Équipe

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”