No not at all. I suspected he was going to stop but I didn’t get him on the phone yesterday or the day before yesterday.
Are you surprised by this announcement?
No, I had him sign a new four-year contract because I felt that a coach who had been to the final of a World Cup (2022) and who had won one (2018) deserved to play in it. another one. His new contract took him until July 2026. But, yes, I imagined this decision to stop at that time.
Do you think the timing is good?
I don’t really realize it. He wanted to do it. That doesn’t change anything, he’s a very brilliant person. He will put all the chances on his side so that the next year and a half goes very positively.
In July 2012, it was you who appointed him head of the France team. Was this obvious at the time?
With Laurent Blanc, we agreed to stop. I actually thought of Didier (Deschamps) straight away to succeed him. I knew him as a player. He was the captain of the French team (world champion) in 1998 when I was president of the National League. He was also the delegate to the selection, he was always rigorous, a real winner, never satisfied with the team’s performance. In Marseille (as a coach), it wasn’t working too much anymore, he wasn’t very happy. I thought he could fulfill a complicated position, which was the case. He has a track record that will be difficult to match.
Quite frankly, we had a great relationship.
How would you talk about your complicity over all these years?
Our relationship has always been very pleasant. We had lunch or dinner together from time to time. He often came to Guingamp, because he went to Concarneau with his wife. Quite frankly, we had a great relationship.
If you had to describe him as a coach, what would you say about him?
He is a hard worker, someone who never leaves anything to chance. He prepares his rallies and matches very well. Any flaws? I don’t know any.
Is he the greatest coach the France team has known?
I believe it if we look at everyone’s track record. Others have obviously been brilliant, but he won a World Cup, he was a finalist in a World Cup (2022) and a Euro (2016). And then, it’s not over, we’ll see how the 2026 World Cup goes. In terms of number of victories (105 for 34 draws and 26 defeats) and longevity on the bench, he will remain as one of the monuments of French Football.
In 2026, he will have spent fourteen years at the head of the Blues. Could you have imagined it when you named it?
Initially maybe not, but I extended it three times, the last time just after the World Cup in Qatar (2022). Each time, it was obvious. Some may have criticized him, everyone is the coach of the France team, everyone likes this or that player. But, for me and 80% of French people, it seemed natural to extend it. His performance allowed him to keep this position.
Beyond the game, it’s the victories that we remember in football.
His play has often been criticized. What do you say?
Some people still want Guardiola, but even for him, today at Manchester City, things are going a little less well. Me, I look at the victories, the reversals of situations, the winning. Beyond the game, it’s the victories that we remember in football.
Euro 2024 in Germany was rather disappointing…
It was less good but we were still semi-finalists, therefore well ranked. You can’t win everything. We are still second in the FIFA rankings, not far behind Argentina (1860 points against 1867). The French team is the first European nation (ahead of Spain). Afterwards, whether we play well or not, everyone can judge, but this ranking shows that France has played an important role globally for years.
Didier Deschamps has recently had some problems with Kylian Mbappé. Do you have an opinion on the matter?
It’s none of my business.
The coach was also one of your supporters at the time of your troubles with Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, the former Minister of Sports. Are you grateful to him?
This story doesn’t exist, I endured it enough for two years. But, yes, he was very faithful.
Everyone already imagines that Zinédine Zidane will be the new coach of the Blues in 2026. Would you vote for him?
I don’t know, I don’t have to vote anymore. I only have one position left at FIFA (President’s delegate to the body’s office in Paris) and it is none of FIFA’s business to know who will coach the French team tomorrow. The Federation’s Executive Committee will have plenty of time to discuss it. What is true today may not be true in two years. Football is like that.
