The French futsal team is playing the first round of 16 of the World Cup in its history this Friday, in Uzbekistan, against Thailand (2:30 p.m.). The Blues put aside the controversy of the last group match against Iran (4-1 defeat), to concentrate solely on this historic match, and show what they are capable of against a formidable opponent. The coach, Raphaël Raynaud, returns to 20 Minutes on the journey taken to get there, and the benefits that such a journey could offer his sport.
How were these last days of preparation before the first round of 16 in your history?
In serenity. As we have qualified for the round of 16 for a while [depuis la victoire 7-3 contre le Venezuela lors du deuxième match de poule]we are quite calm. We are keen to put in a good performance so we have prepared well but with serenity and a certain detachment from this event.
There must still be a little pressure before this historic match?
There is pressure obviously, it’s complicated. But as for the first match against Guatemala, the first World Cup match in the history of the selection, then against Venezuela to seek qualification. The pressure is there because we want to move forward and give ourselves a little more time in this competition. But we remain very focused on the game project, as from the beginning. This is what has guided us for three seasons, so we have focused our sessions on that.
How do you and your group experience all these first times?
We obviously experience it very well because the group knows where it comes from, the work that has been done. It’s a young team from France, born in 1997. My players had to work hard before being able to make a living from futsal, they were bus drivers, salespeople, VTC. So being there, in a World Cup, with what it can represent, the star teams that we meet at the hotel, it’s nothing but happiness.
How do you view this match against Thailand?
Thailand is a formidable team. Not very powerful, but capable of alternating pressing and making teams wait further down. They feed on your mistakes, with low recovery, it’s a very complicated team to play. It is not for nothing that several nations have broken their teeth over it. They are ninth in the world and are coming out of an Asian Cup final. And they have Muhammad Osamanmusa, the star of the team playing in Spain. They combine the exceptional player, strategy and culture of the game. It is a country that lives and plays futsal all the time.
Do you imagine them being vindictive after the controversy of the week, or on the contrary, will this give you strength?
No, the controversy, we put it aside. I don’t know to what extent the Thailand coach is playing on the falsehood. Because it has already put the Uzbek organizers in difficulty regarding the quality of their rooms at the start of the tournament, even though they are doing their best. We don’t talk about it with the group, we are totally focused on the game. One of your colleagues asked me if I was going to hang his portrait in the locker room, all we will display are our playing suits.
you hadn’t necessarily made this World Cup a goal. Is it already a huge surprise for you to see the team at this level?
We are clearly ahead of schedule. When I took over the team three seasons ago, I never imagined that we would play in this World Cup, let alone that we would be in the round of 16. Today it seems normal because we had good results, we had a string of good performances. But we have come a long way, this epic is first and foremost an adventure to come together around the game project, our common idea.
Why is this game project so important?
It gives us an advantage, an extra soul. We set it up around individual initiative, trusting each other and accepting partners’ mistakes. Because it fits with the characteristics of the French futsal player. Who is very inspired, takes initiatives. So we wanted to free everyone’s desires within a common framework, which is reflected in our idea of the game.
How can this deficit in results for the French futsal team be explained?
Once again, we are a young nation, with a team born in 1997. We chose to grow with our weapons and our forces, unlike certain countries which preferred to naturalize Brazilians and therefore grew artificially. We built ourselves little by little, also thanks to my predecessor Pierre Jacky, who worked on the growth of this futsal team and it takes time to train the educators, in particular. We also created the French U21 team thirteen years ago and it takes time, but today almost all of my group has cut their teeth in this youth team. The other nations were ahead, so we worked hard to build ourselves up.
Today, such performances will put a good spotlight on your sport…
Obviously, everything is linked. The French team did not have too many results, so there was little media coverage, there we enter a virtuous circle. Futsal is a sport popular with young people, it is the first school sport among young people. There is demand for shows and practice and the number of licensees increases each season. The fact that the French team is present at this level will allow us to take another step forward in terms of development and dynamics. The clubs are growing too, we will all benefit together; Lots of lights are green.