Hervé Renard Michael Baucher / Michael Baucher / Panoramic
After the drama of his failure to come to Ivory Coast, the coach of the French women’s team wanted to provide details.
The affair caused a stir within French football, only to ultimately end… on nothing at all. Contacted by Ivory Coast to take charge of a selection in distress before the round of 16 of the CAN on Monday against Senegal, Hervé Renard was retained by the French federation. End of the story ? Not necessarily. Some voices are being raised to evoke the supposed lack of respect from the coach of Les Bleues, who was willing to participate in this commando operation, in a country he knows well after winning the African Cup of Nations in 2015.
In discussions with the Ivorian federation, Hervé Renard has always been clear about his provisions. Helping the Elephants yes, but without agreement from the FFF, nothing was possible. Agreement which was never made possible after consultation with Philippe Diallo, but also Jean-Michel Aulas, in charge of the development of women’s football at the federation. Asked about the alleged lack of respect towards women, the former Sochaux and Lille technician responded to The team. «I don’t think, if you have results with Ivory Coast, that it will devalue French women’s footballhe advances without shying away. And I will always say good things about it. It must develop, but not in private. We must open up and not compare with men’s football. These are two different worlds but each with its specificities, its positive messages.»
“You think that I agreed to lose millions of euros (he receives 400,000 euros gross at the FFF, compared to 4 million gross at his former position) by leaving Saudi Arabia for the French women’s team to go to the Olympics like that »
Hervé Renard
Asked about the reasons for his desire to “pick up” a few days with Ivory Coast, Renard, who enjoys greater popularity in Africa than in France, was also frank there. “If you have never been to a CAN, you cannot understand what passion and happiness it generates on a human level. It’s an unimaginable atmosphere. I came to Ivory Coast for a week and the welcome from the people was magical. So there was no way I would say no if it had been possible. But always with this red line: stay with the Blues.»
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And the main interested party, whose contract with the Blues runs until August 2024 and who will not continue in his functions after the Olympics, concludes. “You think I agreed to lose millions of euros (he receives 400,000 euros gross at the FFF, compared to 4 million gross at his former position) by leaving Saudi Arabia for the French women’s team to go to the Olympics like that? Would that be a lack of respect? From the start, everything was crystal clear. It wasn’t one or the other. And if we accept, I do it, otherwise the debate is therefore closed. » On February 23, the French women’s team will challenge Germany in Lyon in the semi-final of the Nations League. With Hervé Renard on his bench.
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