“Mimi has left us. It is with these few words marked by nostalgia that the French Handball Federation expressed its deep sadness after learning of the disappearance, at 69, of Michel Barbot, this Friday morning. The man had been for twenty years (from 1997 to 2017) manager of the French men’s team died when he was to join the general assembly of the FFHB, already postponed twice. In Pau (Pyrénées-Atlantiques), a tribute was to be paid to the man who was for many years president of the Ligue du Center Val-de-Loire.
His arrival in the bosom of the French team towards the end of the 90s had marked the post-“Barjots” era, heralding the glorious succession of the “Hefty” in 2001, in which Guillaume Gille participated in particular, the current national coach. The one who had had a career in education (mathematics and PE teacher) retired in September 2017, a few months after the Blues world title in France.
« The most beautiful memory will remain Beijing (gold medal at the 2008 Games) told Michel Barbot. I, who knew the 1970s when everyone took suitcases, to see this team win an Olympic title, it was exceptional. Because a world championship, a euro, it remains in the world of handball. With an Olympic podium, you enter the world of sport. »
