Hervé Renard at the head of Les Bleues, a face and a bet

By appointing Hervé Renard as coach of Les Bleues until August 2024, the French Federation on Thursday shot down the card of charisma and aura to straighten out the France team, a bet for this novice in women’s football.

Four months before the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand (July 20 – August 20), the FFF decided at the last minute on the thorny issue of the succession of Corinne Deacon, a former coach who landed on March 9 once morest the backdrop of a revolt in internal.

Committed until the Paris-2024 Olympic Games, Renard is indeed expected from Friday (12:00 p.m.) in Paris in the auditorium of the Federation: he must already announce his first list of players to face Colombia and Canada on the 7th and April 11 in friendly preparation for the World Cup.

The first choices of the former coach of Saudi Arabia, who only resigned from office on Tuesday evening following a defeat once morest Bolivia (2-1), will be particularly scrutinized.

Will captain Wendie Renard and star striker Kadidiatou Diani have already made themselves available following their withdrawal? Could former banished like Eugénie Le Sommer find the selection?

In any case, neither the rebellious Marie-Antoinette Katoto nor the ex-captain Amandine Henry, cold with Deacon and deprived of selection since 2020, will be summoned, because they are injured.

– Financial concessions –

The presentation of Hervé Renard will also be an opportunity for the leaders of the FFF to justify their decision to turn to this profile, which is certainly emblematic, but unknown to the benches of D1 women.

At 54, Renard is a rather famous face in men’s football, especially in selection (Zambia, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Saudi Arabia), but his history is still virgin at the head of a women’s team.

For the former defender, double winner of the African Cup of Nations adored in Saudi Arabia since his feat at the 2022 World Cup once morest Argentina (2-1), it is clearly not a financial choice, because Renard will have to certainly drastically reduce his salary.

The technician with well-groomed blond hair and the indestructible white shirt has nevertheless given priority to the tricolor selection, a return to the fold for this globetrotter who has never shone in France, despite a few lightning passages (Sochaux, Lille …).

One thing is certain, he ticks the “charisma” box wanted by Jean-Michel Aulas, president of Lyon and the most influential member of the executive committee of the FFF in this file.

– Strong staff –

But the image of “playboy” sometimes returned by the “Blond Wizard” and his muscular methods – like his memorable half-time speech once morest Argentina in Qatar – are not commonplace in women’s D1, where evolve the majority of French internationals.

The 9th coach in the history of Les Bleues should be helped for this mission by a staff more rehearsed than him in the daily life of women’s football, a precious asset both in physical preparation and in the study of opponents.

The FFF did not formalize the composition of the staff on Thursday but according to sources familiar with the matter, Eric Blahic, former assistant to Deacon appreciated by several players, will be part of it, as will his trusted assistant Laurent Bonadéi, who accompanied in Saudi Arabia.

Will this new framework respond to the “profound changes” in the “management” demanded by the rebels?

As if to remind that they would no longer have free passes, the FFF has already warned that “the way players use to express their criticisms was no longer acceptable in the future”.

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