Hervé Renard and French player Kenza Dali, during the World Cup match between France and Jamaica, on July 23, 2023, in Sydney (Australia). RICK RYCROFT / AP
In Australia, the French women’s football team hasn’t won anything yet. It has not – yet – reached its objective of the last four but the bet of its renewal seems well engaged. By inducting Hervé Renard in April in place of Corinne Deacon, the French Football Federation (FFF) had a double aim: to take its team to a sporting milestone – as such the quarter-final, Saturday August 12 (9 a.m. , Paris time) in Brisbane against the Australians will be crucial – while improving the image of Les Bleues cracked by the controversial reign of the previous coach.
With the 54-year-old Savoyard, the French leaders seem to have hit the nail on the head. Their coach seems able to break the “curse” of two consecutive eliminations in the world quarter-finals; he is also a master of communication, capable of handling words both externally and internally.
Since the dawn of the Austral tournament, Hervé Renard has taken care of his public – and media – expression. “We apologize, we did not provide tea and coffee”he laughs, teasing, a few days before the round of 16 against Morocco (4-0), during training where the wind lashes journalists in Adelaide.
And even when he is caught at fault, the natural seduction of the coach operates and defuses delicate situations. A few days after seeing red in stoppage time in the crucial victory over Brazil – which earned him a yellow card – “Maître Renard” held something like that language, addressing the incident as an answer to a question about his famous white shirt: “I can’t come to train without it. It’s something I’ll never talk about, he begins. I’m a little crazy as you saw late in the game. » Before apologizing “for this behavior which is not good and does not give a good image of French football”.
Tough talks and adaptation
In mid-May, one month before the start of preparation for the World Cup, Hervé Renard spoke of this media spontaneity. “I’m like that, I don’t force myself, he assured the World. I like to communicate. I’ve been doing it for over ten years. I do my job with all my heart and passion. » In Australia, each press conference turns into a “Fox show”, where the technician multiplies the attention, congratulating such a Brazilian journalist “for the quality of [son] French “sometimes making the effort to answer in English or sprinkling his answers with a clever ” good morning “ or « gracias » when he does not master the language of the question.
You have 67.38% of this article left to read. The following is for subscribers only.