The verdict is in. Canada will be part of Group F at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar in November. The maple leaf will have on its way Belgium, the native land of the sporting director of CF Montreal, Olivier Renard. He believes in the chances of the two nations to emerge from a group which also includes Croatia and Morocco.
Posted at 5:37 p.m.
In an interview on 91.9 Sports on Friday afternoon, Renard said he was happy with the draw. He also stressed that he will not be heartbroken in the duel between Canada and Belgium, because the direct fate of neither team will be at stake.
PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, PRESS ARCHIVES
Olivier Fox
The sporting director firmly believes that Canada has a chance to shine, in particular because it will arrive in Qatar without pressure.
You have to stop pretending to be little thumbs. You have a very good team, with a lot of quality, a lot of youth and above all enthusiasm, and it’s going to be a team that has nothing to lose. It’s a great adventure for Canada and I believe that unconsciousness will perhaps carry [l’équipe] up, compared to teams that have more pressure.
Olivier Renard, Sporting Director of CF Montreal
Here, he was referring in particular to his native Belgium. For this golden generation made up of Romelu Lukaku, Eden Hazard and Kevin De Bruyne, expectations will once again be very high. Especially since these star players are aging and this may be their last real opportunity to rule the football planet.
Go Montreal!
Several CF Montreal players should be on the Canadian roster for this first appearance since 1986. Defenders Kamal Miller and Alistair Johnson, as well as midfielders Ismaël Koné and Samuel Piette should make the trip to the Middle East.
Renard has already started teasing his players given that they will be competing against Belgium: “I told Samuel Piette that from now on I will send an email to the federation to say that I am blocking my players”, he said jokingly.
“I watched the draw with all the Canadian players and the president. So already I put a little pressure on Kamal Miller so that he had to train to be able to compete in the duels against Lukaku, ”added Renard.
In an interview with RDS, he also explained that it was a “magnificent experience” for his players and a great pride for the club to have its color bearers in such a big event. “It’s the ultimate reward for them and I think they have the qualities to do more than just participate. »