• The Magazine
  • Interviews
  • Current
  • Nostalgia
  • Legends
  • European
  • World
  • Log in
  • Subscribe
Menu
  • The Magazine
  • Interviews
  • Current
  • Nostalgia
  • Legends
  • European
  • World
  • Log in
  • Subscribe

Trésor and Adams: Vive le garde noire!

Pink by Pink
February 3, 2023
in Latest
Trésor and Adams: Vive le garde noire!

ON THE FOOTBALL PINK’S FIRST BIRTHDAY, EDITOR MARK GODFREY LOOKS AT ONE OF THE GAME’S MORE POIGNANT TALES THAT SHARES IT’S ANNIVERSARY WITH THE WEBSITE’S BIRTH

It should have been a routine operation.

Ruptured ligaments are a common occurrence, especially for footballers. However, the reparative surgery to deal with the damage to Jean-Pierre Adams’ knee became even less significant in the aftermath of that fateful hospital visit…

Adams was born in Dakar, Senegal on March 10th 1948 and was raised there until the age of 10, when he and his grandmother (a staunch practicing Catholic) went on a pilgrimage to the town of Montargis in the Loiret department of north-central France. There, he was enrolled at a local catholic school and soon after, adopted by a local French family.

After a successful amateur career with RC Fontainebleau in his late teens, the defender earned his first professional contract in 1970 with Nîmes Olympique; a club whose first incarnation – Sporting Club Nîmois – was founded in 1901, ironically, as a team for Protestants only. More accolades followed during his three year stint at the Jean Bouin stadium – a Coupe des Alpes victory and a runners-up spot in Le championnat in 1972 were topped off by his debut for the French national team in the same year.

jpamt2

He became a regular for Les bleus once he had transferred to OGC Nice in 1973, gaining 22 caps. It was on international duty that he met another trailblazing black French player, Marius Trésor. Their defensive partnership became known as ‘Le garde noire’ – The Black Guard – a crude and latterly non-PC nickname probably assigned to them in reference to a famous brigade of West African and black Moroccan soldiers who were renowned for their bravery and loyalty to the King of Morocco from the 17th century and right through the time of French colonization of north-west Africa.

Trésor himself did not actually hail directly from Africa. He was born on the French-ruled island of Guadeloupe in the Caribbean. His club career was more prominent than that of Adams, having an eight year spell with Olympique Marseille, where he won a French Cup in 1976, and a four year stay with Girondins Bordeaux where he concluded his 15 years as a professional with a Ligue 1 winners medal in 1984. His international career was also more notable than his friend’s. Trésor was the first black player to captain France, which he did on 24 occasions from 1976 to 1979; the first time coming in a World Cup qualifier against Bulgaria in Sofia. The game finished in a 2-2 draw.

tresor

He was also a key member of the exciting France side of the late 1970’s and early 1980’s. Famously, he scored France’s second goal early in extra-time of the epic World Cup semi-final defeat to West Germany in 1982. The French, possibly just eclipsed by the brilliant Brazilians, were the moral victors of the tournament playing with a joie de vivre that would invigorate them at the European Championships on home soil just two years later. By the time of that Michel Platini-inspired success, Trésor had hung up his boots.

Sadly for Adams, retirement was not a self-determined career move.

jpapsg

Although remembered as one half of ‘The Black Guard’, his international appearances dried up after 1976 and once he left Paris St.Germain in 1979, Adams gradually wound down his time in French football; firstly with FC Mulhouse and finally with amateur club, FC Chalon.

Having suffered a knee ligament injury, Adams was admitted to the Édouard Herriot Hospital in Lyon. What should have been a straightforward procedure went catastrophically wrong when a mistake in the administration of anaesthesia resulted in Adams suffering a bronchospasm – starving his brain of oxygen. On March 17th, 1982 Jean-Pierre Adams lapsed into a coma; a state in which, incredibly, he remains today. A court hearing after the tragedy concluded that an error by hospital staff was critical to Adams’ condition.

He now ‘lives’ permanently comatose, tended to by his faithful wife Bernadette, who has been at his bedside at his home just outside Nîmes, for those 32 lost years. He has two sons, Laurent and Frédéric, who were 12 and 6-years-old respectively at the time of their father’s misfortune. They have grown up and become dads themselves; introducing Adams to his grandchildren as soon as they were born.

The family has survived financially on a settlement payment and handouts from famous players, including Adams’ great friend, Trésor. They still haven’t given up hope that one day something can be done to bring him out of his 32-year coma, knowing that medical science continues to unearth significant new discoveries and that people sometimes awaken from their condition after decades.

MARK GODFREY – @TheFootballPink

Tags: bulgariafrancejean-pierre adamsmarius tresormarseillepsgwest germanyworld cup

Related Posts

RBC Heritage Odds
Latest

RBC Heritage Odds, Picks, Predictions, and Best Bets: Where to Bet on the PGA Tour Event

The Grand Slam events might get all the attention on the PGA Tour, but that doesn’t necessarily make them...

by Jamie Ingram
April 13, 2023
0
Latest

Mexican Open Tennis Betting Odds: Where to Bet on the 2023 ATP Acapulco Tennis Tournament

Tennis fans are in for a treat with the upcoming 2023 Mexican Open (ATP Acapulco) lineup. We’ve got a...

by Jamie Ingram
February 17, 2023
0
Latest

Best Greyhound Betting Sites in the UK – 9 UK Websites with the Most Competitive Greyhound Betting Odds

  Greyhound betting is as exciting as ever, only now it’s possible to do it with just a few...

by Jamie Ingram
May 5, 2023
0
Latest

NBA Playoff Odds, Pools, and Predictions: 2023 NBA Post Season Futures Odds

The playoff picture is starting to become apparent with the NBA season past the halfway point. All the best...

by Jamie Ingram
February 14, 2023
0
Load More
Next Post
Kit of the Week No.11: Leeds United home 1981-83

Kit of the Week No.11: Leeds United home 1981-83

Best Tennis Bets Today
Current

Best Tennis Bets Today: Tennis Betting Tips, Competitive Odds, and Expert Picks & Predictions

by Jamie Ingram
June 1, 2023
0
0

There’s always a tennis tournament right around the corner, and you need the latest, most competitive odds to make the...

Read more
NBA Finals MVP Odds

NBA Finals MVP Odds for Jokic, Tatum, Butler, and Other Top Picks

June 1, 2023
0
Virtual Horse Racing UK

Best Virtual Horse Racing Betting Sites in the UK for 2023: Latest Odds, Lines, and More

May 31, 2023
0
belmont stack betting

Belmont Stakes Betting Guide & Odds – How to Bet on the 2023 Belmont Stakes Online

May 30, 2023
0
Canelo Alvarez Next Fight

Canelo Alvarez Next Fight Predictions: David Benavidez, Caleb Plant & Dmitry Bivol Rematch

May 29, 2023
0
Menu
  • About
  • Contact Us
  • Profile

© Copyright 2023 – Football Pink

  • About
  • Contact Us
  • Profile

© Copyright 2022 - Ronnie Dog Media All Rights Reserved. Live Score

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Gmail
  • Print Friendly
  • LinkedIn
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
 

Loading Comments...
 

You must be logged in to post a comment.