Four months before the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, the French women’s team will finally be able to find some peace of mind. On Thursday March 30, the French Football Federation (FFF) appointed Hervé Renard as coach of Les Bleues until August 2024, after the Paris Olympics.
He thus takes over from Corinne Deacon, landed on March 9 against the backdrop of an internal sling. In deep disagreement with the management of their coach, captain Wendie Renard and star attackers Marie-Antoinette Katoto and Kadidiatou Diani had withdrawn from the national team.
Hervé Renard will therefore have a lot to do, especially since the next deadlines are coming soon. He must already announce his first list of players to face Colombia and Canada, on April 7 and 11, in friendly preparation for the World Cup. And his choices will be scrutinized. Will Wendie Renard and Kadidiatou Diani be back in the blue jersey? Could former banished like Eugénie Le Sommer find the selection? In any case, neither the rebellious Marie-Antoinette Katoto nor the ex-captain Amandine Henry, cold with Deacon and deprived of selection since 2020, both injured, will be summoned.
Charismatic, appreciated in the world of football, Hervé Renard is no less a novice in women’s football. On the other hand, he knows the daily life of the coach particularly well, having been at the head of the national teams of Zambia, Angola, Côte d’Ivoire, Morocco and Saudi Arabia, from which he resigned on Tuesday. last.
Adored in Zambia and Ivory Coast, for having allowed the countries to lift the African Cup of Nations, as well as in Saudi Arabia after its victory over Argentina (2-1) in the World Cup, the former defender will try, once again, to shine on the national territory, after several failures in Lille and Sochaux. A return home that is clearly not a financial choice, as Renard will certainly have to drastically reduce his salary.
If the FFF has not yet formalized the composition of the staff, he should be supported by a staff more experienced than him in the daily life of women’s football, a valuable asset both in physical preparation and in the study of opponents. According to sources familiar with the matter, Éric Blahic, former assistant to Deacon appreciated by several players, will be part of it, as will his trusted assistant Laurent Bonadéi, who accompanied him to Saudi Arabia.
Will this new framework respond to the “profound changes” in the “management” demanded by the rebels? First elements of response Friday, April 7.
