Paris (AFP)
Volleyball legend Bernardo Rezende, more commonly known as Bernardinho, will take charge of the French men's volleyball team after the Olympic Games in Tokyo and until the Olympics-2024 in Paris, succeeding current coach Laurent Tillie, has announced Monday the French Volleyball Federation.
Double Olympic champion (2004, 2016), triple world champion (2002, 2006, 2010) at the head of the Brazilian selection, Bernardinho is the reference in the world of volleyball and will start at the helm of the Blues for the 2021 European Championship from September 1 to 19.
His contract goes until the Olympics-2024, with as intermediate stages Euro-2021, the World-2022 and Euro-2023.
"I am very honored that the Federation accepted my candidacy. This decision was not easy because it requires some personal sacrifices, but when I look at this France team and its evolution today, I am very enthusiastic about the idea of being able to bring him my expertise, in order to achieve a single common objective: the gold medal at the Olympic Games in Paris, ”enthusiastic Bernardinho.
Coach of the Flamengo women's team, Rezende stopped with the Brazilian men's team on the Olympic title won at the Maracanazinho in Rio in 2016, after a one-sided final against Italy (3 sets to 0) and in an incredible atmosphere in front of 10,000 spectators in a country where volleyball is the second sport behind football.
It is another immense challenge which stands in front of him for the Olympics-2024, that of placing the French team at the top of the volleyball planet, for an end in apotheosis for the most beautiful generation of French volleyball led by the star. Earvin Ngapeth.
"This team has the potential and I would like to highlight the admirable work that Laurent Tillie has done with his players for nine years. I want to continue this work, push the limits and the capacities of each one, continue to make them grow as as sportsmen and human beings ", underlined Bernardinho.
He arrives at the head of a French team which is living its best hours, a prosperous period under the mandate of Laurent Tillie, who started at the head of the Blues in the fall of 2012.
In the space of nine years, Tillie led the Blues to a final four in a World Championship (4th in 2014), but especially to his first international titles: a European coronation in 2015 a few weeks after the triumph in the World League , in Brazil.
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