Nice-Premium: Your visit here at the Challenge du Coeur?
Didier Deschamps: I am a consultant with Gilles Veissière on Canal Plus. We are in contact all year long. He asked me to sponsor this event. Depending on my schedule, I try to accept as often as possible, especially when it involves young people. And I’m a neighbor; I live in Cap d’Ail.
NP: Your current activities?
Didier Deschamps: I am enjoying my family. I am a consultant for RMC for Euro 2008.
NP: The other side?
Didier Deschamps: I learned how the media function from the inside, even though I am not a journalist but only a consultant. I learned about the interests of different parties. I have a better understanding of this profession. I might be different with the media now. They are important. There’s a lot of communication, and online media are also becoming very numerous. Being on the other side helps to better realize all of this. In my commentary, I don’t want to criticize but only analyze.
NP: Next season?
Didier Deschamps: I want to be a coach again. I didn’t coach this year, and it was good for me. I started coaching AS Monaco right after my playing career. Next year, I want to play a role in soccer again. This year allowed me to gain perspective without the daily stress of being a coach.
NP: A preference?
Didier Deschamps: No. There is no preference between France and abroad. Choices have priorities. Coaching just for the sake of coaching doesn’t interest me. There has to be a challenge and a good environment so I can express myself. I hate losing. I need to be able to convey that.
NP: The rumors?
Didier Deschamps: There was some truth and some falsehoods. There were crazy rumors. A single word in a conversation with a journalist can lead to extraordinary proportions. You can quickly say everything and its opposite.
NP: The French championship?
Didier Deschamps: The championship is losing its international players, and it is difficult to attract top-tier foreign players. Teams are forced to call on young players aged 17 and 18. There’s also a homogeneity, which, in my opinion, is not beneficial. It’s essential to have the same teams compete in the Champions League every year. This elite pulls other teams up. It should function like a locomotive.
NP: OGC Nice?
Didier Deschamps: I have watched and sometimes commented on OGC Nice’s matches this season. It’s entirely different from last year. Nice played leading roles but struggled a bit at the end of the season. The club needs to be established. Some key players have left. It’s logical, given OGC Nice’s financial means. They had the 17th budget. Frédéric Antonetti achieved something fantastic with these means.
NP: AS Monaco?
Didier Deschamps: Monaco is more complicated. There is instability among the leaders. It hurts to see the club like that, especially when everything is in place for Monaco to play leading roles sustainably. It’s a matter of making choices in sports policy, where mistakes were made. The transition after the Champions League final was poorly managed. The club was not prepared for it.
NP: Monaco, club of the heart?
Didier Deschamps: I pay more attention to Monaco. It was this club that gave me credibility as a coach. Reaching the Champions League final was an extraordinary adventure.
NP: Coaching Monaco again?
Didier Deschamps: Never say never. It’s a matter of supply and demand. But be clear, this is not a hint!
NP: Juventus?
Didier Deschamps: I accepted the challenge. Juve was in trouble. It was a way to return the favor.
NP: The journey of the French team in the Euro?
Didier Deschamps: It’s very difficult to experience. I am the number one supporter of the French team. It represents the credibility of French soccer. The start of the tournament was very complicated. Qualification is still possible. It’s crucial to beat Italy to avoid having regrets.
NP: Deschamps, future national coach?
Didier Deschamps: Being a coach of the French team would be an honor and recognition. It must be the right time, I must be available, and they have to want me. But one thing is certain: in my coaching career, it would be a source of pride.
NP: Handball?
Didier Deschamps: It’s a sport that has seen great victories for both men and women. Both selections, male and female, have qualified for the Olympic Games. It is not sufficiently covered in the media. There is a lot of physical demand with plenty of contact. I enjoy watching it. I was around the handball players from OM-Vitrolles when I played at OM. I later sometimes met players from the French team, notably Jackson Richardson, at official events between athletes.
NP: Gilles Veissière?
Didier Deschamps: I remember one of my first matches with OM. It was against Istres. He almost sent me off early in the game after a tackle. Things could sometimes get heated between us. He doesn’t hold back his words. Neither do I. Voices would be raised. It was a way of marking his territory. He officiated in major matches and competitions.
