why are there fewer and fewer French coaches in the major European championships?

With the ouster of Rudi Garcia by Naples, no French coach is on the bench of a top 5 European club outside Ligue 1.

He was the last. Tuesday November 14, Napoli sacked Rudi Garcia five months after his arrival, replacing him with Walter Mazzarri. From now on, no French coach operates in the major European championships. Only Ligue 1 has French representatives, and even then, there are only eight, or less than half. A few years ago, France was well represented abroad, with Arsène Wenger at Arsenal and Zinédine Zidane at Real Madrid. How then can we explain this growing scarcity?

One of the areas put forward concerns the language barrier. It remains an obstacle to the exile of French coaches, as the coach of the France team Didier Deschamps recalled last summer. “We objectively have a handicap: our use of foreign languages. We are not good enough in this area. A foreign coach, in France, may not speak French, we will admit. Go to Italy, England or Spain . If you don’t speak the language of the country, you won’t even be asked.” noted the double world champion in the columns of VSD.

A problem which slows down expatriation, as for Didier Tholot, who alternated between France (Reims, Châteauroux, Nancy) and Switzerland (Sion). “I could have had other opportunities elsewhere in Europe, but they quickly closed, because I don’t speak English fluently, and I don’t speak other languages. It becomes essential today to be able to express yourself in two or three languages”, the technician told franceinfo: sport.

Missing learning during training to become a coach, highlighted by the national technical director (DTN) of French football, Hubert Fournier. The latter confirmed to SoFoot that the question nevertheless arose. “We asked ourselves: should we work on languages? But that’s not our job, already, and we can’t force a French coach to speak English, even if I campaign for it.”

A difference in training with other countries?

Another line of questioning: is French training behind the others? In Portugal, coaches follow a university course in parallel, like José Mourinho and his master in Law, Economics and Sports Management. The Italians meet at Coverciano (Tuscany), the national technical center, to take their exam with the writing of a thesis of more than 100 pages presenting their tactical ideas.

The current coach of OGC Nice, Francesco Farioli, has passed this stage and is one of 16 coaches to graduate in Italy. A formation which is rather successful since the Aiglons play the leading roles in Ligue 1. Roberto De Zerbi, another popular Italian coach, is very popular at Brighton, where he offers one of the most attractive games in England.

But in France, the concern is not linked to training according to Christian Damiano, who has known foreign football well having been Claudio Ranieri’s assistant at AS Roma and Inter Milan (2009-2012), or even Gérard Houllier in Liverpool (2003-2004). “It’s more of a behind-the-scenes problem than traininghe tempers. French training is long and difficult. When I was at the DTN, we went to see how things were going in other coach training centers like in Coverciano (Italy) or elsewhere to find out. The French are armed at this level, but are not sufficiently present on the international market”.

“There is also lobbying in this sector”

Christian Damiano also discusses the role of agents, which is essential today to obtain a position. He was confronted, when he was DTN of China, with agents “Spanish and Portuguese who offered coaches who were sometimes less competent than the French, but still managed to place them thanks to the power of their contacts”. A feeling shared Francis Gillot, who already highlighted the lack of network of French coaches two years ago. “HASno French coach works with an agent capable of having connections abroad”, the former coach of Sochaux, Lens and Bordeaux had assured franceinfo: sport.

Relationships are crucial to finding a position, including through the media. “There is also lobbying in this sector. You have to show your face on television, be everywhere,” ensures Mécha Baždarević, former coach of Grenoble and ES Sahel in Tunisia. Some former players or coaches who became consultants have found a coaching position, like Rudi Garcia, who left for Marseille after Euro 2016, or Habib Beye at Red Star (National), after a notable appearance on Canal+.

French coaches are therefore sometimes forced to stay in France to make a name for themselves. A situation which does not necessarily bother those mainly concerned according to Denis Troch, former assistant at PSG and today performance optimization coach. “JI believe that French coaches do not want to be abroad enough. You have to train to have experience, even if it means spending three years in the United States or Italy.” he admitted to franceinfo: sport two years ago.

An analysis that Christian Damiano questions. “There may be an element of reluctance on the part of the French coaches. Do they want to leave? It’s another culture, you have to adapt quickly. The French coaches are capable of doing it but you have to to dare”. A milestone that some have already successfully crossed, and that others will have to imitate in order to restore their letters of nobility to French coaches on the European scene.