He had already met him a week before. But it was only Thursday morning that Vincent Bergeret summoned his coach, Savo Vucevic, to inform him of his decision to suspend him from his duties. The Montenegrin addressed his players, around 3:15 p.m., to announce to them himself that he had been sidelined. Before the president of Élan Chalon speaks in turn, on the floor of the Maison des Sports, at the end of the training session led by assistants Maxime Pacquaut (who will act as interim on Saturday as coach) and Emmanuel Coeuret.
How do you feel after this decision to suspend the coach?
“It’s not easy at all today. This is the hardest decision I have made in three and a half years. Without adding more, I would like to pay tribute to Savo. I don't forget that he took us from Pro B to Elite. And I don't forget either that he kept us going last year with these famous three descents. I would like to pay tribute to him for that above all. »
Why did you make this decision?
“You, like me, have known the results since the start of the season. We felt that there was also a little pressure, rather friendly for the moment, from the public. Unfortunately, it’s high-level professional sport that’s like that. We can always readjust the squad. But often, it's the coach who ends up toasting. We can think what we want about it. I hope I made the right decision, of course. I don't do all this for myself. I do it for the club. What matters above all is Élan Chalon, what it was, what it is today and what it will be tomorrow. We are in an increasingly competitive league, with a lot of money in certain clubs. »
What did you say to the players?
“I saw them this evening (Thursday, editor’s note), after training. They bear some responsibility for the results. It's not just the coach's fault. It's up to them to already show that they have not given up and that they are ready to fight… And this from Saturday in Cholet. »
How do you explain the surprising timing of this announcement at the end of the international break?
“Some have already found the press release laconic. Obviously, I will see Savo again at the beginning of next week. And the club will issue a new press release to pay tribute to him. But at some point, this decision became a bit inevitable, although I'm not entirely convinced that the players had given up on Savo […] So why now? There was this Coupe de France match lost to Gries/Souffel. And also this friendly match on Sunday lost in Vichy. It's a bit of a build-up. Although I still say that this team has more talent than last year. What we are missing is a leader, unlike last year when we had Antoine (Eito) and Aleksej (Nikolic). Afterward, Stockton only played two games. He will bring us organization and assists. He is capable of making others better through his organization too. »
France
