Some voices abroad have evoked an “African victory”, due to the large number of players of African origin in the French team. But don’t these attacks paradoxically underline a success of the French model in terms of social integration in football ?
We should be proud of this team, which Barak Obama recently took as an example in a speech in tribute to Nelson Mandela.
Many players trained in France play for other national teams. Is the exchange balanced ?
I’ve never estimated the number of players trained in France and playing for an African team. But we have to recognise that for the time being, the Africans solicited by the French coach prefer to play for France than for their country of origin. We can and we must understand them. They simply have more to gain by playing for the French team.
The African continent did not manage to place a single team in the Round of 16. How do you feel about this negative balance ?
There was not much at stake between Japan and Senegal. And when you’ve seen what Japan has done to Belgium, you can say that the gap between the big footballing nations and the small ones is narrowing. In any case, there is an important fact that must give hope to all countries: Uruguay has 5 million inhabitants, Croatia 4 million, Iceland350 000. None of these teams were ridiculous, quite the contrary.
The impression that dominates compared to Africa is to have two teams, Nigeria and Senegal, who have clearly lost their opportunities, and three others, like Tunisia, who have been very naive… What do African teams need to really assert themselves on the world stage ?
Good players, mostly. Then, good clubs to keep these players. So a very good training and clubs becoming professional. That said, for black Africa, it is necessary to see investors coming to make good training structures and create good clubs in the wake. This is exactly the project I am going to carry out in Côte d’Ivoire. We’ll talk about it in about ten years.
The largest nations at present are precisely those that have an effective training system. In your opinion, is Africa on the right track to catch up with Europe and could it eventually form the bulk of its internationals ?
Probably for the first phase. Probably for the second one. The Ivorian example that we will give to other African countries in terms of training could, if this project goes to the end, undoubtedly allow an African country to reach the last four of the World Cup in 2030.
Asia did not do much better than the African continent, with only Japan in the Round of 16, but South Korea gave themselves a great blow against Germany, and Iran was not far from achieving the feat against Portugal or Spain. When, in your opinion, can countries like Japan or South Korea, which have made major structural efforts in 30 years, become world powers and not just continental powers ?
Japan is the one on the best track. He works very well in training. The more important the video arbitration becomes, the more problems these countries will pose to the big nations.
On a purely tactical level, what do you retain from this World Cup ? Is there a team that impressed you and deserves to be set an example to follow ?
France, thanks to its esprit de corps, its faith and also thanks to the talent of Mbappé, Griezmann and Kanté, deserves this title. But we must not believe that this esprit de corps and faith alone would have been enough. Otherwise Iceland would have played in the final.
Because he won the event, should Didier Deschamps be considered the best coach and tactician of the tournament ?
The best coach is the one with the best team and often the best luck. We can think that Belgium, Brazil and even Croatia had at least as many arguments as the French, minus luck. From this point of view, Didier Deschamps still deserves this title with all these assistants, because luck does not come by chance.
The player you liked the most ?
Mbappé, Hazard, Modrić, Cavani, Kagawa or Kanté…
source www.sofoot.com
