After his coach, Maxime Chanot also attacks his captain Laurent Jans

Everything is not yet said for Maxime Chanot. After two press releases, the 34-year-old once again spoke at length to the Daily on the conflict between him and national coach Luc Holtz. “I think the truth must be told,” believes the man who has long been the head of defense of the Luxembourg selection.

Maxime Chanot went to Bulgaria last month to watch the Nations League match, but left earlier than expected. Luc Holtz then publicly declared that the central defender was absent due to injury. Last week, however, the coach admitted to having lied. “We communicated at his request that he was suffering from knee problems, which was not true.” Instead, Maxime Chanot would not have tolerated having to stay on the bench.

With his statements, Luc Holtz reacted to the first position of his former protégé, in which he had criticized the team management for its lack of professionalism. In his letter, the 34-year-old had stated that he would not be available to the national team for the upcoming Nations League matches against Bulgaria (Friday) and Northern Ireland (Monday). Luc Holtz, on the other hand, said that he did not even want to name the central defender because he had let the team down. He also assured that Maxime Chanot’s career in the national team was over. “After such a press release, it is impossible for Maxime to play for us again.”

The Los Angeles FC central defender reacted angrily to the coach’s statements. Maxime Chanot affirmed that he was indeed injured. He further wrote in his second press release: “Luc Holtz is simply frustrated that things did not go the way he wanted.” He recalled past incidents: “Should we not ask ourselves where the real problem lies? There is almost one scandal per meeting and our national team is now almost more often talked about off the field than on the field.

Did Luc Holtz want to resign?

Pour The DailyChanot returned to the reasons for his premature departure. “What player asks to be on the field when he arrives the day before an international match after such a long journey and is injured? I accepted this decision. But I knew that three days later I still wouldn’t be able to play against Belarus. So I decided to come home. The defender obviously had competition from Los Angeles FC in mind. “I fought for a starting place there and I can’t risk losing it just to spend five days in Europe knowing full well that I won’t play.”

On several occasions, he questions Luc Holtz’s ability to lead the national team. In addition, the defender claims that the coach wanted to resign. “In June, after the match against Belgium, when he had already extended his contract, I took the time to listen to him and motivate him when he wanted to speak to me – as he had done with two or three other players – and told me he wanted to quit because the team didn’t have enough quality and couldn’t evolve.

Maxime Chanot says that not all FLF players are treated the same way. “I made a lot of concessions and for example crossed the Atlantic in June for two friendly matches, when I had just been transferred to my new club and the championship was still in progress, while others were on vacation to rest.” He is apparently referring to Leandro Barreiro, who missed both matches. “It appears there are differences in the judging and sanctioning of players in this group.”

The 34-year-old also criticizes the treatment of Gerson Rodrigues. “He’s a great guy, he always has a smile on his face and he’s always friendly. Everyone loves him. He’s the best player on your team. You know you need him and you treat him like this? Sometimes he is a starter, sometimes he is on the bench, sometimes he is appointed, sometimes he is not? Luc Holtz is lucky to be so attached to the national team, because I know many who would have slammed the door.

The fact that captain Laurent Jans publicly lined up behind the coach does not seem to please Maxime Chanot. “With all due respect, because I really like Laurent, he plays in a league where he meets young players from the big Belgian clubs. Of course, he defends the national coach. This is currently his only chance to play matches at this level. But the role of the captain, which I have often played, is to be the link between the coach and his teammates, not to give an interview before he even calls me.

He adds: “Last month he couldn’t find my phone number to call me? He had it when he asked me if I could help him contact associations in the United States for him.

Even if Maxime Chanot does not yet want to declare that his international career is over, after these explosive declarations, it seems less likely every day to see the defender again in the Luxembourg jersey. Both Luc Holtz and FLF President Paul Philipp do not want to speak before the two upcoming Nations League meetings.