Silly question, but does a Champions League coach still go to school? I checked. Yes.
Yannick Cahuzac coaches Lens, he succeeded Dino Toppmöller, and this Tuesday at 6:45pm he takes charge of his first Champions League match from the touchline, against Sporting CP, at the Bollaert stadium. The same morning, he was supposed to be at Clairefontaine, in the Yvelines, for his BEPF course. That is the professional coaching badge required to manage at the top level in France. He asked to follow the session remotely. They said yes.
I opened my notebook, tab “qualifications”. Basketball doesn’t have that, I looked: nobody sits the coach down for an exam on match day. Well, I didn’t find any.
The topic of the session: mental support and self-knowledge. On the day of his first European match. I think it’s very well organised, actually. If you have to get to know yourself, you may as well do it on the day you find out how you react at 6:45pm.
He explained it to RMC Sport: “Je vais attaquer assez tôt. À 8h, je serai connecté en visio pour suivre les interventions de mes formateurs. Mais vers 10h30, 11h, quand mon groupe de joueurs arrivera, je serai focus sur eux.” (“I’m starting quite early. At 8am, I’ll be logged in by video to follow my instructors’ talks. But around 10:30, 11, when my group of players arrives, I’ll be focused on them.”) At 8am, I’m on the 7:32 train, I’m not focused on anything.
He added: “I’m living this with serenity.” I underlined the word twice.
“Self-knowledge, Louise? In the third provincial division (Belgium’s Sunday amateur leagues) we call that the club delegate. He tells you straight away who you are.”
RMC Sport says he is the first French head coach to live through a double day like this. And on Wednesday morning, he heads back to Clairefontaine. I wonder if he has to tell the class about his match. I’m told it’s always been like this, fine, but what does that mean?
Anyway, I still have a lot to learn. So, apparently, does he, and that reassures me.
It’s true, we checked: RMC Sport.
