Since the mid-2000s, the France team had taken a kind of subscription to the table of excellence of planetary handball. As soon as she climbed into the semi-finals of an international tournament, like this Friday afternoon against Sweden (at 5.30 p.m.), she invariably left with a charm (except in 2007). 14 medals in fifteen years in Europe, at the Worlds and at the Olympic Games, except that the most dazzling destinies necessarily have an end, in sport as elsewhere. Little by little, the “Experts” left the scene (Omeyer, Narcisse, Dinart, Gille…) and foreign competition became more consistent.
Before this world championship in Egypt, the Blues were in disarray: elimination in the first round of Euro 2020, long injury of the tutelary figure Nikola Karabatic, absence of any gathering for a year, pandemic obliges. The two preparatory matches against Serbia in early January only sharpened the doubts of the six-time world champions. However, on arrival in North Africa, the puzzle miraculously fell into place.
“We doubted, we didn’t know where we were going. Uncertainties governed us but the state of mind was beyond reproach. Against the Serbs, we were criticized for lacking aggressiveness, but since then we have outdone ourselves. Basically, it’s a story of legacy [héritage, ndlr]. Some of us have played with the golden generation that ruled the world for a decade and there is bound to be something left of it: energy, vibrations, mind ”, reports on the phone Nedim Remili, 25, who takes more and more space in the closed rooms of Egyptian rooms.
“I am talkative”
At the timeouts requested by the French staff, Guillaume Gille, the coach, lets his players express themselves. It is what he calls “the council of the players” on which the members of the team of France hardly extend as soon as the microphones pour in. A way of participatory democracy? Self-managed management? A Republic of Gamers?
Nedim Remili, who has been learning for five seasons at PSG with the cream of the planetary hand, strongly rejects the hypothesis: “It’s a form of permanent exchange between the players who are on the field, who feel the systems that work or not, and the staff. We propose, he disposes. “Gino” (Gille) lets us talk to each other but in the end, the choices, the decision is him. Hence the many “sorry” that we hear from me at the end of downtime. I am talkative…”
Kamel, his father, director of US Créteil, where Nedim started out, refines the subject. “There is no pyramid authority, the players can express themselves. We must not forget that this team has spent little time together for a year. […] I imagine they thought they needed to talk more than usual. ”
Barça or PSG?
Like many high level athletes, Nedim Remili groped for a long time (swimming, taekwondo) before settling on hand, the sport of his father, champion of France with Créteil in 1989. The left-hander with the golden arm is quick envious. Barely past his twenties, in 2016, he debuted in Blue the day after the Rio Olympics and already the main shops on the continent are rushing to sign him. In the end, the decision is played between Barça and PSG, two of the biggest clubs in the world.
The Cristolien ultimately decides to leave the Pompadour crossroads behind him and cross the periphery to move to Porte d’Auteuil, where PSG has its headquarters. A family decision, according to him. “I was not ready to take off. My mother hadn’t gotten used to seeing me every three months. So, we decided as a family. It was a fairly easy choice, especially since I was going to play with legends of this game. “
Heavy artillery in the final?
Kamel Remili has a different memory of it with a slightly more pragmatic approach. “Going to Paris was his decision. It was an added value in his progression as a player. […] Today he is trained by a Spaniard [Raul Gonzalez Gutierrez] and he continues to perfect his training. “
Remili and his family are only two games away from an international coronation that has eluded them for four years and the world title acquired in France. The first charm for the right-back who sometimes helps out as a center-half, proof of his exponential importance. “If we pass Sweden, everything will be possible regardless of the opponent”, says the man from the Port district. In the event of a final, the opponent would be Spain or Denmark, the outgoing double European champion or the holders of the Olympic and world titles. Heavy artillery.
Rico Rizzitelli
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