Former OGC Nice president André Boïs has passed away at the age of 85 on Monday, as per reporting from L’Équipe. He breathed his last at his residence in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, Nice, on Monday. Boïs’ tenure as president saw the club clinch their most recent professional title, the Coupe de France in 1997.
Boïs was a prominent figure in the world of French football, and took the helm of OGC Nice during a challenging period for the club in the early 1990s. The team had been relegated to Division 2, and a devastating financial crisis had engulfed the club. Looking back on those trying times, Boïs remarked to Nice-Matin, “I inherited a club that was both financially ruined and in shambles.”
During his presidency, Boïs orchestrated a remarkable turnaround, guiding OGC Nice back to the top tier of French football. His crowning achievement came in 1994 when the club won the Division 2 championship, securing their promotion to Ligue 1. However, the pinnacle of Boïs’ tenure was Les Aiglons’ victory in the 1997 Coupe de France, a competition that saw Nice prevail over Guingamp in the final, ending 1-1 in regular time and decided 4-3 in favour of Nice after a dramatic penalty shootout.
GFFN | George Boxall