Longoria sets French football on fire

In just two months as president of Olympique de Marseille, Pablo Longoria has already made enemies in France. And not because he is not right, but because some of his statements in an interview with El País this week have been misinterpreted by most of the Ligue 1 coaches.

“In France there is no French model of the game. Objectively, if we analyze the globe, it is one of the countries that exports the least coaches. They do not sell collective ideas. But individually he is the one that exports the most players because the French player continues to play on the streets, especially in many neighborhoods of Paris, Marseille and Lyon, “said the president of Marseille when asked about the benefits and deficits of French football.

Longoria's words have not sat well with the Ligue 1 coaches union. Antoine Kombouaré, Nantes coach, responded like this to the Asturian: “Who is Pablo Longoria? Since when has he been the president of OM? I am not going to answer him, he is free to say what he wants. But we are simply world champions with Deschamps and we have Zidane with 3 consecutive Champions “

Niko Kovac, AS Monaco coach, he also responded to Longoria, claiming that French coaches are undervalued: “French coaches are undervalued. I can't say they don't have a role model. We have the example of Wenger in Arsenal, Gerard Houllier in England, Zidane in Real Madrid, Deschamps in the national team or Galtier, who is doing a great job with Lille. “

For its part, Rudi Garcia, Lyon coach, blamed the French press for not supporting the local coaches: “We would have to emphasize more the quality of the French coaches. In Italy, when I was there, I have seen how foreign coaches are judged compared to Italians. You have less projection if you are a foreign coach because they support the Italian coaches “

Without a doubt, the biggest criticism that Pablo Longoria has received has been from Raymond Domenech, president of the Ligue 1 coaches union and a person who leaves no one indifferent every time he speaks in public: “It is a very spontaneous impulse, Longoria's attack is stupid. Behind this injustice, everyone is obliged to react. Without a game concept, what do you mean, that French coaches only make players run? We all have a form of identity, except for the English, who do not exist among them. We do not have a global identity, but it cannot be said that we do not have a game identity. “As Kombouaré, Fredéric Antonetti, Metz coach, asked Longoria's identity, whom he did not know.