On April 20, 1986, Pierre is in front of his TV. That evening, TF1 broadcast “Tous pour Noah”, a program presented by comedian Stéphane Collaro. A bicycle, clothes… The famous tennis player is selling several items that belonged to him in order to raise money for the benefit of the Care France association, whose vice-president at the time was his mother, Marie-Claire Noah. . Passionate about tennis, Pierre cannot resist the urge to buy an object as rare as it is precious: one of the Le Coq Sportif racquets used by the player during the Roland-Garros final, won against the Swede Mats Wilander. Against the advice of his relatives, he pays 12,000 francs (i.e. 3,277.87 euros in 2021, according to INSEE) to acquire this little piece of tennis history.
A certificate written by the hand of the last French tennis player to have won a Grand Slam tournament accompanies the object, maintains Pierre. 33 years later, this Marseillais finally decides to part with it to pay the medical expenses of his wife, who is facing health problems. He had the racquet appraised at Drouot to find out its value for an auction.
In 2017, he submitted it to Jean-Marc Leynet, an expert from the Parisian auction house specializing in sport. The latter replied in April 2018… that she was worth nothing, or at least not much. According to him, the racket purchased was not used during the final of the tournament, nor even during the entire fortnight of Roland-Garros. A blow for those who hoped to set the starting price at around 8,000 euros.
A time-barred affair?
Three and a half years later, the case was examined on Tuesday by the second chamber of the judicial court of Versailles (Yvelines). Pierre’s lawyer, Me Arnaud Ibanez, demanded that Yannick Noah be held liable in tort for having produced a false document – namely the certificate of authenticity – and the contractual liability of Care France, which was the beneficiary of the auction. Clearly, he asked that Pierre be reimbursed and compensated for the damage. The player and now singer, who has rebuilt his life in Cameroon, his country of origin, was absent from the hearing which lasted just under an hour. He instructed his lawyer, Me William Bourdon, to represent him.
Unlike Pierre’s lawyer, Me Bourdon believes that the case is time-barred. “The procedure was triggered more than 30 years after the events. The original plaintiff would have discovered the “hoax” more than 30 years after the fact? It’s absurd, and the case is time-barred,” the lawyer wrote in an email to 20 Minutes. “As often in procedures targeting public figures, the action is mercantile and opportunistic,” he adds. “More than 30,000 euros in damages are claimed for a racquet purchased for less than 1,500 euros, even though there is no evidence that the racquet presented is the one purchased in 1986.”
Judgment will be rendered on April 2. Contacted by 20 Minutesthe Care France association declined to comment.
