Johan Micoud joins Philippe Dessertine’s Bordeaux mayoral list, sport at the heart of plan | OneFootball

According to L'Équipe, former France midfielder Johan Micoud, a 1999 French title winner with Bordeaux, has joined economist Philippe Dessertine’s non-partisan list for the city’s mayoral race. The 52-year-old won 17 caps for France, scoring one goal.

A club great with 260 appearances for the Girondins, he still lives in the city. He had not envisaged politics until a dinner with friends last autumn, where he met Dessertine, an independent candidate for the municipal elections on 15-22 March.

Micoud says he did not seek a political career, but the meeting and its message convinced him. He has no set plan, yet feels that to truly change things you have to enter politics. The decision was finalised in January, when he joined the slate.

Sport is central to their programme. The aim is not only to revel in major events, but to place sport at the heart of civic life for both young and old. Practically, the plan is to provide access for everyone, with opportunities to exercise close to home, wherever people live.

The project also envisages a sporting hub around the stade Atlantique.

With Dessertine credited with 17% in the latest polls, he will be a factor in the race. Micoud says he is keen to show he can do more than he has done in football, and likens the campaign to sport’s momentum, driven by passionate people pursuing a shared goal.

Source: L'Équipe