By mutual agreement, Olivier Renard and CF Montreal formalize their divorce. The club made the announcement on Thursday afternoon.
Olivier Renard held the position of sports director and vice-president of CF Montreal before leaving the organization, news mainly known since last Tuesday, which only remained to be confirmed.
What we did not know at the time was that President Gabriel Gervais would take over as interim sports director in the meantime. It is not yet clear what happens to Renard’s deputy, Vassili Cremanzidis.
I would like to thank Olivier for his dedication, passion and work within the organization since 2019. He has played an important role in the development and implementation of the club’s sporting philosophy. I wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors.
Gabriel Gervais, president of CF Montreal
Renard, for his part, thanks “the whole club, [les] players, [le] staff, [les] supporters and the Saputo family” for his time spent in Montreal. “I am proud to have participated in the growth of CF Montréal, to have orchestrated a sporting identity at the club and I will keep unforgettable memories of it. »
Read the column “If Joey Saputo wants to be the sports director, let him assume it”
Read the article “Olivier Renard in five paintings”
Gervais will be available to speak with the media Friday morning at the Nutrilait Center. Just like Samuel Piette and head coach Laurent Courtois.
“We were the perfect match”
The latter quickly took the time to thank the man who gave him his first chance as a head coach in MLS. Thursday, immediately after the official announcement, Courtois sent this message, clear, clear and precise, on X.
On Wednesday, in a long interview published on the official MLS website, Courtois mentioned that “Olivier and Vassili’s project” had “instantly charmed” him when he received the call.
“I felt like we were the perfect match. The style of play that I showed them was close to what he knew from Wilfried Nancy. […] As soon as I shook hands with those guys, I was desperate to get the job. »
We don’t yet know what happens to Cremanzidis, but now Courtois is losing the leader of his squad. When the rumor came out last Tuesday, the French coach published a photo of his group in the locker room, after the Canadian Championship match against Forge, arm in arm. “Together,” he wrote.
The Choinière case
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Mathieu Choinière
Why have we come to this? After all, as recently as 2022, Renard had earned not only a contract extension, but also the title of vice president of the organization. We had confidence in him, and he was ready to operate on a limited budget.
Recently his relationship with Joey Saputo collapsed. Tom Bogert of The Athletic called it “tensions” in recent weeks. Then there was the Mathieu Choinière file, which ignited the powder. According to our information, the sports director was willing to agree to the salary requests and the contract extension of the Quebec midfielder. It should be remembered that Choinière was named CFM Most Valuable Player last year, in addition to participating in the All-Star Game.
But the directive not to offer him the desired $600,000, a reasonable price based on Choinière’s performance and consistency and the salaries paid to equivalent players in MLS, came from above. Which resulted in a request for a transaction from the Quebecer.
Did the directive come from Gabriel Gervais? The president, like Olivier Renard, has always extolled the virtues of a starting team with a local flavor. Otherwise, above Gervais is the board of directors, chaired by owner Joey Saputo.
Olivier Renard and Vassili Cremanzidis operated with a budget provided by the board of directors. If he could no longer use it as he wished, what leverage did he have left to work with?