With turmoil behind them, France looks to make noise at World Cup

On the surface, the hiring of Hervé Renard to take the reins of France last March, only months ahead of the World Cup, seemed like an odd one.

While the 54-year-old Renard’s coaching resume is a lengthy one that spans over two decades, he had never coached in the women’s game at any level. What he had done, though, was get his teams to perform in tournament settings.

Twice Renard led teams to African Cup of Nations triumphs, with Zambia in 2012 and Cote d’Ivoire in 2015. Then at last fall’s World Cup in Qatar, he coached Saudi Arabia to a surprise group-stage upset of eventual champions Argentina in a 2-1 victory.

Renard told FIFA that he wanted to foster cohesion within Les Bleues like he has with other teams that he’s managed.

“When I take charge of a national team, I like us to be united,” Renard said. “United for the country, for the flag, and for the national anthem. I always give the same speech and won’t be changing it, as I don’t adapt just because I’m coaching a different team. Above all, I want a tight-knit group, as football is a collective sport. Without unity we can't achieve anything – I insist on that all the time, and it’ll always be my guiding principle. No one can be outside this framework, and no one is above the national team.”

When viewed through this lens, then, the Renard appointment makes a great deal of sense, especially considering who came before him.

If Renard’s philosophy is familiarity, his predecessor’s was isolation. Corinne Diacre’s stewardship of Les Bleues ended in March after nearly six years. Though her France teams reached the quarter-finals of both Euro 2017 and the 2019 World Cup and the Euro 2022 semis, on-field results were always secondary to her management style.

Throughout her tenure, Diacre became infamous for her willingness to freeze out players, no matter their importance to the squad.

Stalwart centre-back Wendie Renard of Lyon, no relation to Hervé Renard, had her captain’s armband removed by Diacre after Euro 2017 before seeing it returned in 2021. Despite leading Division 1 Féminine in scoring in 2019, Paris Saint-Germain’s Marie-Antoinette Katoto was left off Diacre’s World Cup squad that summer. Two veteran players who had been the subject of public criticism from Diacre, OL duo Eugenie Le Sommer and Amandine Henry, were dropped from last summer’s Euro squad.

The French Football Federation (FFF) was forced to step in this past spring when the gulf between Diacre and her players became irreparable. In late February, Renard announced she could no longer appear for Les Bleues, citing her mental health.

“I love France more than anything. I am not perfect, far from it, but I can no longer support the current system, which is far from the requirements of the highest level,” Renard wrote on Instagram. “It is a sad day but necessary to preserve my mental health. It is with a heavy heart that I come to inform you of my decision to step back from the French team. Unfortunately, I will not be playing in this World Cup under such conditions. My face may hide the pain but my heart is suffering … and I don’t want to suffer any more.”

Shortly after Renard made her announcement, Katoto and then-PSG forward Kadidiatou Diani followed suit and announced they were also withdrawing from national team consideration, as well. In the wake of these announcements, the FFF formed a four-person panel to look into the circumstances and their findings discovered “the malfunctions [around the team] observed seem, in this context, irreversible.” As a result, they made the decision to dismiss Diacre.

The removal of Diacre is not a panacea for all that ails Les Bleues as they prepare to open their tournament. Key players Henry (calf), Katoto (ACL) and Delphine Cascarino (ACL) will all miss the World Cup. A listless 1-0 loss to hosts Australia last week in a friendly showed some tactical deficiencies and, more importantly, OL defender Selma Bacha was seen on crutches after the match following an early exit through injury.

Still, there is a prevailing feeling that the turmoil that had gripped the program for years is finally behind Les Bleues, and the World Cup marks a fresh start for the team currently ranked fifth in the world. A tough match with Brazil awaits in Group F, but France remain heavy favourites in a group that also includes Jamaica and Panama. Les Bleues will have every opportunity to prove that there is addition from subtraction as they look for a first World Cup triumph.