2023-08-29 07:28:08
Wasn’t it just a nightmare? France is well and truly eliminated from the World Cup, fired like a mess in the first round. Ridiculed by Canada (95-65), swept away by Latvia (88-86), red with shame, they are sent back to a crisis that was largely avoidable. One year of the Games, of “his” Games, the timing is appalling. How to get up, bounce back and get a medal, the most beautiful, in 11 months in Paris is now the number 1 mission of French basketball. Between two sleepless nights in Jakarta rehashing the humiliation, the Blues have time to start discussing the issue. There is no doubt that this is the case and that the discussions are surely lively.
Because although eliminated, France has not finished with this cursed World Cup. To establish the world ranking, FIBA (the international federation), needs to play ranking matches to add stages to the way of the cross of the Blues. The France team therefore still has three games to play before leaving Indonesia where it remains until the weekend. No, not against Spain, Slovenia or the United States as we thought until the semi-finals. But against Lebanon, Iran and Ivory Coast. It will then be time to go home to cry in his corner.
Against Lebanon from this Tuesday
The punishment begins this Tuesday, August 29 against the weak Lebanese (11:45 a.m., BeIN SPORTS). This match was planned: it is the third and last of the first round even if it is useless. Lebanon conceded 39 points (109-70) against Latvia and 55 (128-73) against the Canadians. We are not asking the France team to do better, it is useless. Thursday and Saturday, the Olympic vice-champions, third in their group, will meet the two dunce caps of group G, namely Iran on Thursday and Côte d’Ivoire.
All this to get in the best case, a humiliating 17th place at this World Cup. The worst result of a French team in a major tournament (Olympic Games, Worlds, Euro) since 19th place at the Berlin Olympics… in 1936. To play these uninteresting but compulsory matches, Vincent Collet will rotate to offer time of play to those who have lost credit with a view to Olympic selection. Certainly, no one has won but Elie Okobo, Moustapha Fall, Isaïa Cordinier or Yakuba Ouattara, little to their advantage, even less than the others. To put its head back in place, does France need a lesson in humility? It starts now.
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