Former FC Sète Star Abdel Kharrazi Dies at 47, Remembered as ’Rugged Defender’

Abdel Kharrazi lost his long battle against Charcot’s disease. Surrounded by his loved ones, the one affectionately called "Kharra" passed away on Wednesday, reports Midi Libre. Since then, tributes have multiplied for the icon of FC Sète. "He was a guy who listened, respected and appreciated by everyone, all over France," declares Christophe Rouve, the current coach of the club. "My phone won’t stop ringing, I’m getting messages from everywhere. Abdel had kept strong contacts with many players, like Benyachou, Pfertzel, Dufrennes, Bellugou, Rambier and so many others..." François Commeinhes, mayor of Sète, salutes his unwavering loyalty to the green and white jersey.

"It is with immense sadness that we learn of the death of Abdel Kharrazi. Emblematic captain of FC Sète, ’Kharra’, as everyone called him, an emblematic figure of his neighborhood on the Île de Thau, had become an indispensable element of the first team. His unwavering loyalty to the green and white jersey, his cheerful, positive, combative spirit, and his passion for teaching and passing on to the younger generations will remain particularly in our memory," he reacted. Marc Pfertzel, his lifelong friend, mourns a brother. "Beyond a friend, he was a brother," says the former player. "He’s the one who welcomed me to Sète when I was just a kid, and since then we’ve never let go. I’m losing my big brother. He went through a terrible ordeal and yet it was him who gave strength to his loved ones. He was a great man, he will always remain an example. What I want to remember about him is his smile. Because I don’t want us to forget that."

Arrived at FC Sète in 1995, Kharrazi shone throughout his adventure which ended in 2017. "He did everything to make the club and the team move forward, he gave body and soul," says Christophe Rouve. "He was a rugged defender, a winner who would have gone to the fight for a match. But off the field, it was radically different..." His former teammate recalls: "I saw him arrive from the Pointe, he first played in the reserve team and then, when he moved up to the first team, he never left it. In Ligue 2, I think he played the most matches (EDITOR’S NOTE: 33 in total). When Laurent Scala needed three players to promote the reserve team to CFA2, we went there with Abdel El Hajaoui. And when the club went bankrupt, we both stayed with this ’Green and White’ jersey..." The Moroccan player’s efforts were crowned with success. In 2012, he is champion of the Languedoc Division of Honor. Two years later, he becomes champion of CFA 2 Group E.