Plantières (R3) – Haut-du-Lièvre (R3)
this Sunday at 2:30 p.m.
Since the start of the school year, Abdelwahed El Bazini has not seen the weekends go by. Coach of the Haut-du-Lièvre basketball team in Prénationale (the highest regional level) for a dozen years, the Nancéien is used to scour the Lorraine halls on Saturday evenings with his team.
But since the start of the season, he has also lent a hand to the Nancy football team in R3. “I am a basketball player at the base but I played in the football team ten years ago”, he explains at the end of the line, “at the start of the season, the coach (Achraf Labrini, Editor’s note ) asked me if I could come and play to help. I accepted. Le Hautdul ‘, I was born there, I grew up there. This is my heart club “
“Yes I know, it’s crazy …”
Abdelwahed El Bazini therefore embarked on this new challenge. No doubt telling himself that at 40, the one his teammates affectionately call “the grandfather” would only make occasional appearances.
But with injuries and absences, “repairs” have become regular, especially as the player has shown that his sense of goal is intact. In the fifth round of the Coupe de France, he gave his team the advantage with a clear shot from 25 meters. “Everything is going well for now” he smiles, “I hope it will continue in the next round”.
But if Abdelwahed El Bazini makes a surprising comeback, the surprise is even greater when we discuss the “training” section with him. “Honestly, I don’t train at all,” he resumes, almost embarrassed, “with my job, I do a lot of 5x8s and it’s impossible for me to train. Yes I know, it’s crazy… ”
For now, his experience and technical background allow him to be competitive but Abdelwahed El Bazini is aware that this situation cannot last forever. “As long as I can lend a hand, I will,” he continues, “but it would surprise me that the physical follow for a long time because I am forty years old. And then, I will soon be back to work on the weekends. I will no longer be able to be so available »
In the meantime, Abdelwahed El Bazini will be ready this Sunday for the sixth round of the Coupe de France if the Nancy coach calls on him. And his basketball team being on rest due to school holidays, the Nancéien will not have to juggle between the two balls this weekend …
