Jean-Baptiste Sarrazin 14:42 pm, March 24, 2023

A few days after suffering his first defeat in 19 matches with Stade de Reims, coach Will Still received criticism from Raymond Domenech, the former coach of Les Bleus and now president of the coaches' union. The latter believes that the Belgian technician, who does not have a diploma to coach at a high level, should not occupy his current position. An exit that provoked the anger of Reims President Jean-Pierre Caillot.

Every series has an end. Unbeaten in the league for 19 matches, Will Still's Stade de Reims suffered its first defeat since September 2022 last weekend against Olympique de Marseille (1-2) at the end of the 28th matchday of Ligue 1. The end of an invincibility that does not however call into question the very good form of the Reims club since the arrival of the Belgian technician on the bench. Poorly embarked on his arrival in early October 2022, the Reims have straightened the bar since the arrival of Will Still and currently occupy ninth place in the ranking before the 29th day of the championship.

READ ALSO – Football: waltz of coaches in Ligue 1, this record that has just been beaten

Despite his very good results with Stade de Reims, the coach is not unanimous in the football world. The latter has been openly criticised by Raymond Domenech, the former coach of the France team and now president of the France football coaches' union (UNECATEF). Aged 30, Will Still does not yet have all his diplomas to be able to exercise his function as coach in Ligue 1, which was recalled by the former coach vice-champion of the world 2006: "If we had the right to take everything and anyone, the end would like us to take someone without a diploma. The president's cousin could be a coach. He could sit on the bench, quiet."

€25,000 fine per match

This exit of the president of the coaches' union was not to the taste of the president of Reims Jean-Pierre Caillot who immediately hastened to defend his technician: Raymond Domenech "is in the role of trade unionist. Unfortunately, like many people and corporations, he does not accept the idea of questioning himself. In my opinion, he should rather ask himself the following question: 'why coaches who have not gone through their training are better than those who have gone through their training?'" Without a Ligue 1 coaching diploma, Stade de Reims was fined for each match. Jean-Pierre Caillot must pay the sum of 25,000 euros each championship weekend. A substantial sum for the 11th budget of Ligue 1. Other clubs are in the same situation like OGC Nice who must also pay this fine for its coach Didier Digard, not yet graduated. Raymond Domenech goes even further and campaigns for these fines to be even higher, "so the clubs would not do it". An opinion that divides and provokes controversy in French football.