Strasbourg (AFP)

"We do not get rid of this drug": two years after leaving the bench of Arsenal, Arsène Wenger (70 years) "refuses to say never again" and does not rule out training again one day, he said on Saturday during a presentation of his autobiography.

Speaking in Strasbourg in front of the Press Club, then to AFP, the former technician presented this book entitled "My life in red and white" and told his new life as director of the development of world football at the Fifa, stressing that the danger for him would be to want to make "the fight too many".

Q: At almost 71, you have chosen to write your autobiography.

What motivated you?

A: "I had always refused to look back but I had time in front of me. I realized that the crux of everything that happened to me was here, in Alsace, since I was raised in a village (Duttlenheim) where I only heard about football. I had at the same time the desire to share my experience, to tell people that life can be way above what you can dream of when you you're a kid. It's a message of optimism and sharing with what I learned from hanging out with high-level people. "

Q: Thirty-six years of career including 22 years at Arsenal: did you imagine to accomplish such a journey?

A: "I never thought that I would do this job for 36 years. At the beginning, I often said to myself: + Mash, you're not made for this job. + I suffer too much, I can't stand defeats, I am physically sick after the defeats. I cannot take a step back, I am fully in it all the time. I am not flexible, not tolerant, a little dictator. So I say to myself: + I am not made for that. + But the others tell me: + But no, that's good. + Finally I think that my body has adapted little by little to the stress. "

Q: In your book, you write from the very first pages that the passion for football "does not die out".

Could you train again?

A: "I don't know. I refuse to say never again because it would hurt so much. I think the wisdom is to say that I have survived so much stress for so long that it might not be worth it. better not to try the devil again. But the passion tells you: + As long as you live, live your passion to the full. +

Q: Are you missing the bench?

A: "I miss him a lot. I was drugged for 36 years and you don't get rid of this drug overnight. It's not easy, but at one point, I reasoned with myself. I'm not going to do too much fight, haven't I already? When you get to 70 years old, the horizon gets shorter and I had proposals from UEFA and Fifa to participate differently in the development of football. I finally opted for the development of Fifa because there is a huge gap between Europe and the rest of the world. "

Q: What is your role as Director of World Football Development?

A: "Our program is: a chance for everyone. The rest of the world suffers a lot and Europe has all the structures. A World Cup is practically a European Championship with Brazil or Argentina. Not everyone else has a chance to win it. Since 2002, Brazil have not won any knockout games against a European team. The gap has widened enormously between Europe and the rest of the country. world. Fifa has an educational responsibility to help countries organize themselves. "

Q: You are proposing the abolition of the brand new UEFA Nations League and the acceleration of the pace of major competitions.

Why ?

A: "Out of ten people who really know football, there aren't many who can tell you what it is for (the League of Nations). Maybe we should have fewer competitions. The pace of four years, it's something prestigious that we expect but two years is a rhythm of life which corresponds more to the rhythm of today's society. People no longer have the patience to wait and always want to see top. "

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