the essentials After several years as assistant coach of the TGB, the Franco-American Alex Casimiri took the reins of the brand new Union Tarbes-Lourdes in 2010, then in Regional 1, to bring it up to National 1 in three years . In 2017, the Union reached the semi-final of the championship but lost against the Alsatians of Souffelweyerscheim.
Leaving for Charleville-Mézières next, Alex Casimiri will then move to Sapela (Salon) then the Avignon-Le Pontet club in NM2 with whom he will experience the rise to NM1 this season. Here he is today, coach of the opposing Union team, this Saturday evening at 8 p.m., who will do everything to bring them down.
What is your feeling upon returning to Tarbes?
I’m going to see my friends and family. I am delighted. As soon as I can come back to Tarbes, I do so. It doesn’t matter what people say. I receive lots of messages from people happy to see me again. But at the same time it’s strange, because it’s something I helped build.
Did you imagine that this situation could happen?
No. Not while I was in Tarbes. Afterwards, when I’m gone, why not one day? But I didn’t have that desire to do it either. But every opportunity to come to Tarbes is good…
Do you have a vengeful spirit when you come back here?
No revenge, no. I think there were a lot of things that people didn’t understand. I didn’t want to leave. I was working three jobs at the same time. I was a technical advisor for the committee, I coached the France cadets and the Nationale 1, to earn what the other coaches earned by just doing the Nationale 1. I was a little tired of all that, and I wanted to show that I was appreciated outside. I was in great demand by the agents. So I gave my CV, to try to make it clear that I was a little exhausted from doing all that. There were the cadets, the Nationale 1 and then during the holidays, the courses with the chicks… And there was the house, three young children. It was exhausting. I just wanted to show what I was worth to the outside world and that I couldn’t continue like this. I had offers… It was like going fishing with a bait that the fish were jumping on. I hadn’t planned to leave, and then… A misunderstanding. We couldn’t understand each other.
But everything didn’t go as planned…
I shot myself in the foot by going to Charleville-Mézières (in Pro B, Editor’s note). I had other offers that I should have taken. But we were coming off a semi-final against Souffel. which is played on two Achilles tendons, Jordan De Muynck and Xane d’Almeida. We had every chance of going to the final and beating Quimper, who we had already beaten. So, I felt very strong and able to overcome everything. It was not the discovery of Pro B that bothered me, but the discovery of the means available to Charleville… with the financial sanctions, the dismissal of 3 people in the club… Afterwards, we had a good season in Nationale 1 , but this year of Pro B slowed down a lot of things in my career, even though I know I’m not cut out for Pro A. It’s not a good decision I made. I told myself that I was going to continue to work miracles. And that’s what…
Then, you went down to the South, to Salon, then Avignon, for the sun?
No, I went to a place where I knew the people and I could trust them, and it brought me closer to my French family since I have a sister in Pertuis and another in Marseille. I was born in Aix and my father was Corsican.
How was this season with Avignon?
We started well, and we saw ourselves looking a little too good, with egos and all that… We got back into it and we won 13 out of 15 matches afterwards. The hardest part is setting up a collective with guys who want to show themselves. Fortunately I have guys like Cayol, who is very altruistic and who makes everyone shine. We managed to double all the positions, to put a hierarchy in place. All the coaches tell me that we have a great athletic dimension, and on the ground too, not just in the air.
And for the second phase?
In Quimper, we were at +15, and like idiots, we started to pick apart, to argue, and that’s it… Tuesday evening against Tours, it was the opposite. We are -10 to 5 minutes from the end, but we remain positive until the end.
What if the rise to Pro B presents itself?
We can not do anything. We really don’t have the means. We have too low a budget.
What do you fear from the Union team?
The 3-point average… When it hits, you can’t do anything. If it bombs everywhere…
2024-03-14 17:04:06
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