Happy at the Games, unhappy at the Euro. This could be the saying summarizing the history of the European Championships having preceded the Olympic Games by a few months for the French team. Thus, traditionally, French handball players do not shine much in the continental tournament organized at the start of the Olympic year. The prize for worst goes to the 2020 edition, ending with a pitiful elimination in the first round and a final 14th place. And no matter that the Tokyo Games finally took place in 2021, the symbol remains since at the time of the Euro, the specter of the health crisis, and therefore of a postponement, did not yet exist. But Nedim Remili’s band hopes to break this bad habit this year in Germany (January 10 to 28).
Seven months before the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, it would be time, in fact, for the Blues to reconnect with a European title which has eluded them for more than ten years. For the last Euro of their star Nikola Karabatic before his retirement at the end of the season, there will be no other opportunity. In terms of handball, writing that a competition is not successful for the Blues remains relative but “the French team only obtained two medals, bronze, in the year of the Games, it’s quite ridiculous”, observes coach Guillaume Gille. “In view of our record, that we have never had the opportunity to shine in the year of the Games, it is quite paradoxical,” he continues. “Especially when we see the results during the last four Olympics, namely three victories (2008, 2012 and 2021) and one final (2016).”
Their handball counterparts showed them the way by winning a third world crown last month. “It’s a motivation,” recognizes captain Luka Karabatic. Seeing them victorious clearly makes you want to follow in their footsteps.” And for once, the Blues will be able to count on everyone on deck, except for goalkeeper Vincent Gérard who is not sufficiently recovered. Suddenly forgotten the nightmare of the last Euro, two years earlier, when Guillaume Gille had to give up on some of his injured captains, like Luka Karabatic, Nedim Remili, Timothey N’Guessan and Elohim Prandi. Not to mention a cascade of positive cases of Covid-19.
Without reproducing the black streak, the long list of absentees at the last World Cup (Timothey N’Guessan, Karl Konan, Hugo Descat, in particular) combined with injuries during the tournament resulted in a final, lost to Denmark, played without a back left, except Nikola Karabatic, on one leg due to a foot injury. “During this period, we very often find ourselves confronted with injuries or players in poor form and forced to throw in the towel a few days before the Euro,” summarizes the coach. “Here, this is not the case.”
Even in full, among the nineteen, there are only three of the 2014 European champions present in Germany, the Karabatic brothers, as well as Valentin Porte. A sign that it is time for a new crowning achievement, also in the cradle of modern handball. Sport whose rules were developed by a Berlin physical education teacher, Karl Schelenz. “I’m looking forward to German theaters,” salivates Guillaume Gille, who spent a decade in Hamburg. “We are going to meet people who know handball very well, people who live behind their Bundesliga club on a daily basis.”
After the opening match in Düsseldorf scheduled for 6:00 p.m. this Wednesday against North Macedonia, promising to break an attendance record for a handball match – more than 50,000 spectators are expected -, the Blues must travel to the capital Berlin where they will challenge Switzerland on Sunday (6 p.m.), then their German hosts on Tuesday (8:30 p.m.) for the final shock of their group A. Then, barring disaster, there will be time for a second group phase, that of the main round at Cologne. A phase that would be better to approach with two points on the clock rather than zero as they should cross the road to Spain and, to a lesser degree of difficulty, Croatia and Iceland.
Qualified for the Olympics as host country, like the Danes as world champions, the Blues do not have the obligation to win otherwise they will have to play an uncertain Olympic qualifying tournament in March, unlike Spaniards, whom they could meet in the main round. Or the Swedes and Norwegians, sure values in the other part of the table, whom they cannot face before the final weekend (January 26-28). Will it be a lack of harmful motivation, or on the contrary a less beneficial pressure to evolve in a more liberated manner? Impossible to predict. What is certain is that on paper, France has all the necessary assets to win a fourth continental title and is thus getting closer to the five Swedish crowns. And six months before Paris 2024, winning in Germany would send a strong message to the competition.
