She explained herself at length. Two days after her press release to announce that she was withdrawing from the France team, Wendie Renard confided in RMC. His decision had caused a new cataclysm in French football, especially since several other internationals (Marie-Antoinette Katoto, Kadidiatou Diani, Perle Morroni and Griedge Mbock) have since imitated him.
“I have always been told: in life the most embarrassed leaves, I was embarrassed by this situation. I try to change certain things so that we can perform individually and collectively. But for me it’s not even brave, it’s just that it’s an accumulation of things. Continuing in such conditions is not possible, ”said the captain of the France team with 142 selections from the start.
Wendie Renard admits that she had been thinking about it for a long time. “I wanted to have this last exchange with the coach before announcing my decision. My decision was 80% made. After I always said it, she’s the boss, not me. I’m not looking to be a coach, I’m just looking to perform, to take this blue jersey where it deserves to be, that is to say at the highest level with the players and the qualities we have. There are many things to change, it is my duty to say so. I’m not against but I’m with, to change. »
Wendie Renard also explained that she wanted to denounce the obstacles to the development of women’s football. ” I can not do it anymore. I can’t pretend. This shirt I love, and because I love it, I made this decision that hurts personally. We missed a turn after the 2019 World Cup, there is a momentum that is broken. When you see that Barcelona fills its stadium with 90,000 people, that in England it takes… You were ahead of those countries… We have to move up a gear if we want to win a title with the French team. »
“She did it for the good of the France team”
The Lyon central defender also explained that she had informed her president Jean-Michel Aulas of her decision, who also asked her to talk about it with Philippe Diallo, the acting president of the FFF. His case and that of the other rebels will be discussed during the important Comex on Tuesday, where Noël Le Graët could also announce his resignation.
“It is up to the management of the Federation to take responsibility. I took them as a player. But maybe my approach will have served to move things forward, or not. Today, I am at peace inside, even if it hurts to have stopped. They have the power, I don’t have it. But today, the question I want to ask them: where is your level of requirement? “. From there, we put things in place or not. It is up to them to make decisions, and to continue to make them.
After her team’s victory over Bordeaux (3-0) this Sunday in women’s D1, a match during which Renard was given a standing ovation by OL supporters, Lyon coach Sonia Bompastor brought her her support: “Wendie is legitimate because she is a professional, competitive, attached to the blue jersey. She gets in trouble. But she does it for the collective good and the France team. We have to make sure to listen to the players. Since the 2019 World Cup, we have not been able to ride the right wave. A lot of things should have been resolved before that rant from Wendie. For a while now, I have been warning about the competition that is being organized in Spain, Italy or England. We need a collective reaction, clubs, federation and together. »
An observation taken up by Patrice Lair, the former coach of PSG and OL, now in Bordeaux: “We are no longer advancing. There are egos, big personalities, but in this coaching job it’s complicated if you’re not able to manage that. »