Mathieu Debain elected Auxerre mayor, long-serving AJA physio since 1999 | OneFootball

Mathieu Debain has been elected mayor of Auxerre with 33.8% of the vote. According to L'Équipe, the 48-year-old AJ Auxerre physiotherapist since 1999 ran as an independent, ahead of incumbent Crescent Marault on 24%.

He first worked in the academy, then moved to the first team, before returning to youth duties after 2016. Former coach Guy Roux, who hired him, highlights his expertise and steadying influence on players.

Roux says Debain lifted spirits daily and resisted premature injury returns, calling him thoughtful and intelligent. He also notes his complementarity with fellow physio François Darras, who remains at the club.

A former Socialist, Debain joined En Marche in 2016, then Territoires de Progrès, and did not renew membership in 2024. He has been a municipal councillor since 2020 on Guy Férez’s list. Mani Cambefort took 27.7% and RN candidate Pascal Blaise 14.5%.

Executive president Baptiste Malherbe says AJA anticipated reorganising at the academy as Debain takes leave from the club. He notes good relations with the outgoing mayor, who backed the ongoing Abbé-Deschamps stadium expansion, and welcomes a familiar interlocutor at town hall.

Malherbe describes Debain as a true Auxerrois, active in civic life, and says his election underlines the club’s local roots. Academy director Jean-Sébastien Jaurès praises Debain’s work with under-19s and his role linking players and staff, and wishes him well as mayor.

Source: L'Équipe