Handball: Guillaume Gille to replace Didier Dinart at the head of the Blues

As precious as it is, gold preserves nothing. Neither did bronze. Above all, no shocks and unpleasant surprises. Didier Dinart has just learned it the hard way. Despite the title of world champion gleaned in 2017 and third places tied to Euro 2018 and World Cup 2019, the coach of the France team did not resist the poor elimination of the Blues in the 1st round the Euro which has just crowned Spain for the second time in a row.

This Tuesday morning, in this "Handball House" in Créteil (Val-de-Marne) which he had inaugurated last January with President Macron, Dinart will be officially removed from office. While they have still not announced the news verbally to the outgoing, Joël Delplanque, the president of the French Handball Federation and Philippe Bana, the national technical director, will reveal the identity of his successor. There is little doubt about it.

As announced on Sunday, Guillaume Gille, 43 years old and 308 caps, should be entrusted with the keys to a blue house which he had (re) integrated at the end of 2016 in a role of "number 1 bis" alongside Dinart before " slide ”to the assistant position in charge of physical preparation in particular. He should be supported by former international goalkeeper Yohann Delattre, 53.

If Dinart did not take 15 markers, as was the case with Daniel Costantini (1985-2001) or Claude Onesta (2001-2016), it is that the surprise elimination in the 1st round of the Euro after the setbacks against Portugal and Norway, combined with the break with his group, was deemed too deep by the governing bodies. Far from forging closer ties, the "truth meeting" scheduled for the return of the Blues in France, only accentuated the incomprehension between the coach, his former partners and friends as well as some of the young people to whom he had offered their first capes.

A raised Olympic qualification tournament

In addition to confidence in the collective game and daily certainties, it is a balance that Guillaume Gille will have to give back to the France team for his first real mission as a high-level coach. Despite 308 selections on the clock, two Olympic titles (2008, 2012), as many Euros (2006, 2010) and Worlds (2001, 2009), it is with as only luggage of head coach two seasons at the head of 'Aix-en-Savoie (N2) that "Gino" will take the reins of the Blues.

If the question of adding an experienced technician such as Montpellier's Patrice Canayer or ex-Nantais Thierry Anti in a role of "sports manager" has been studied, it is for the moment a tandem with Yohann Delattre who should be privileged. Coach of the French junior team, the former porter has the advantage of having shaped many of the current international youth and even led some to the titles of junior world champion in 2015 and U21 in 2019 It is with his help that Guillaume Gille will have the heavy task of managing the hot TQO where the French team will have to seek its Olympic qualification for Tokyo against Croatia, Tunisia and Portugal from April 17 to 19 in the AccorHotels Arena, in Paris.