The snub is huge. French handball is in crisis after the sinking of the Blues in Norway, eliminated in the first round of the Euro following their defeat against the host country, 28 to 26, Sunday January 12 in Trondheim, two days after that conceded facing Portugal.

This failure, unprecedented at the Euro, comes just over a month after the fiasco of the women's team, also eliminated from entry in its great pre-Olympic competition, the World Cup in Japan.

Two years ago, France was world champion in men and women and the future looked bright. Six months before the Tokyo Games, the euphoria gave way to worry.

The women remain the reigning European champions and already have their Olympic tickets in their pockets. But for men, the decline in the international hierarchy, started at Euro-2018 and World-2019, despite two bronze medals, turns into a plunge.

Neither the players nor the staff will have time to dwell too much on their disappointments because the next deadline, much more crucial still, arrives in three months: the Olympic qualification tournament where the Blues will have to win their ticket for Tokyo, April 16 to 19 in Bercy.

Not long ago, this meeting would not have aroused much fear, but given the context, the French will have to be wary. Their opponents, probably Croatia, an African team and a potentially good European (but not one of the very best countries), will come up with the idea of ​​them also bringing down the former bosses of world handball. There will be two places to take from four candidates.

The defeat of too many

France will also have to go through a qualifying round, in a round-trip match next June, to participate in the World Cup in Egypt in January 2021.

"This is new to us. It is the first time since I have played for the French team that we are eliminated so early. We will see how we will digest this," reacted veteran winger Luc Abalo, l 'one of those who disputed their last Euro, like Mickaël Guigou and Cédric Sorhaindo.

France ruined its tournament by losing against all odds against Portugal (28-25), a nation in progress but not yet a candidate for the podium. She found herself forced to succeed in a feat to survive: beating the vice-world champion in front of his audience.

The Blues fought well and played a much better handball than the day before, despite an attack game still disturbed by the loss of balls and inaccuracies. "We gave everything. Even if we die, as much as weapons in hand and we did it," said winger Valentin Porte. The linchpin Ludovic Fabregas was the most efficient with 8 goals.

The France team led three goals in the second period, to a length of the gap that would have made them happy (because a shorter victory would probably not have been enough to send it to the main round). But that was not enough in front of the 8,900 Norwegian supporters, crazy about the semi-center of PSG Sander Sagosen (10 goals).

Keep hope, like in 2012

After this debacle, the responsibility of the coaching duo, Didier Dinart and Guillaume Gille, will be at the center of the debate, because on paper the French team has a fine collection of talents. It was the ability to make them play well together that was lacking.

"This is not our place at all when you look at the players on the team," said Nikola Karabatic.

It would however be very surprising for the Federation to decide on a revolution so close to its objectives where France will have to break the downward spiral.

"I don't think we should throw everything away. We have to rework, rebuild individual and collective trust, it's a big undertaking," said Karabatic.

The star, like the other former medal winners (two Olympic titles, four world and three European between 2006 and 2017), can rely on the 2012 precedent to believe in the rebound. In January, the French finished eleventh of the Euro. In August, they were wrapped around their second Olympic gold medal in a row in London.

With AFP

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