Tributes flow following death of French football coach Jean-Louis Gasset

Jean-Louis Gasset's coaching career spanned more than 30 years during which he worked with the France and Cote d'Ivoire national teams as well as at Paris Saint-Germain, Marseille and his home town club Montpellier. AFP - GABRIEL BOUYS

Montpellier football club led the tributes on Friday to their former player and coach Jean-Louis Gasset who died on Friday. He was 72.

Gasset, who was born in Montpellier, went through the youth ranks at nearby AS Beziers before joining his home town team in 1975.

The midfielder stayed at the club as it rose from the eighth tier of French football to the top flight by the time he hung up his boots in 1975.

“A child of the club, he left his mark on everyone who crossed his path through his professionalism, kindness, and desire to pass on his knowledge,” said a Montpellier club statement. "We have lost an emblematic figure.

“Our sadness is immense when we remember his smile, his unmistakable voice.”

France skipper Kylian Mbappé added his condolences. “A football encyclopedia has left us," wrote the 27-year-old Real Madrid star on social media.

"Thank you for everything and rest in peace."

Philippe Diallo, the French Football Federaiton boss, added: "French football today loses one of its great servants.

"Beyond being a recognised and respected technician, he was a true lover of football, deeply human, inspiring, and committed.”

Success as an assistant

As assistant coach to former France international Laurent Blanc, the pair guided Bordeaux to the Ligue 1 title in 2009.

He went with Blanc to coach the France national team between 2010 and 2012. Gasset was also part of Blanc's staff during his time at Paris Saint-Germain.

During their three years at the Parc des Princes, they harvested 11 trophies including three league titles and two Coupe de France trophies.

“The Paris Saint-Germain family and French football are in mourning,” said PSG on the club's social media account.

As a head coach, Gasset's record was less spectacular. His was a surprise appointment when he took over the Cote d'Ivoire national team in May 2022.

But his guile and nous shaped the players into a formidable unit and one of the favourites for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations on home soil.

But after an opening day win over Guinea-Bissau, the side narrowly lost to Nigeria and was then battered 4-0 by Equatorial Guinea, the national team's worst defeat to an African side.

He and the Ivorian federation parted ways. His assistant, Emerse Faé, took over and steered the team to the crown.

As plaudits rained down on Faé in the aftermath of the 2-1 victory over Nigeria in the final, the former Ivorian international stopped the eulogies to hail Gasset for selecting the squad.

“The man with the cap will remain one of the key figures in Cup of Nations victory," an Ivorian football federation statement said on Friday as Faé's players prepare for their second game of the 2025 tournament in Morocco against Cameroon.

Former Cote d'Ivoire boss Gasset takes over at Marseille

Folllowing his departure from Cote d'Ivoire, Gasset resurfaced less than month later at Marseille where he stayed until the end of the season - the start of his retirement.

But he could not resist the call from his darling club.

In October 2024, he returned to a side struggling in Ligue 1. In December, the amateur outfit Le Puy knocked them out of the Coupe de France and in April 2025, he left Montpellier by mutual consent after losing 15 of his 20 games in charge.

“We are no longer the atypical, family-like club trying to fight," said Gasset towards the end of his reign. "I feel it, and everything is slipping away …”