The president of the French Basketball Federation (FFBB) Jean-Pierre Siutat confirmed on Wednesday the coach of the French women’s team Jean-Aimé Toupane in his post until the 2024 Olympics, after the bronze collected at the Euro- 2023 as gold was targeted.
“We confirm the staff for the 2024 Olympics, there is absolutely no ambiguity on that,” Jean-Pierre Siutat told the press.
Jean-Aimé Toupane, named after the bronze won at the 2021 Olympics to replace Valérie Garnier, who remained on four defeats in the final of the Euro is “a very good choice”, added the president of the FFBB during a press conference.
This was called to “explain things” after a Euro “which brought a lot of controversy”, including the non-selection of Marine Johannès who wanted to take the preparation along the way to make a round trip to his WNBA franchise.
The management did not accede to his wish, in the name of group cohesion and the search for automatisms, and decided to do without the back who camped on his position.
“All the controversy that was sparked behind is a bit harmful and uncomfortable because everyone was aware” assured the manager of Les Bleues Céline Dumerc, of the rule enacted, according to the Federation in February 2022, imposing to participate in the whole preparation to compete in the Euro (June 15-25).
Marine Johannès “knew by going” to New York that she was giving up on the Blues during the Euro, insisted Jean-Aimé Toupane.
Les Bleues were beaten in the semi-finals by future European champions Belgium (67-63), while Toupane had declared before the competition that any result other than gold, after five defeats in the finals, would be “a failure”.