After the interview given to RFI by Thierry Mouyouma, the current coach of Gabon, Patrice Neveu, his predecessor, wanted to react because he felt targeted. Particularly when his successor evokes the need for a return of discipline and patriotism within the workforce.
RFI: Patrice Neveu, you wanted to react following the interview with Thierry Mouyouma published on RFI on Thursday April 4, in particular because of his comments on his desire to reinstate patriotism and discipline in the group.
Patrice Neveu: To the extent that the coach of the Gabon uses RFI to pass this type of thing, I say no. It’s a shame. Before leaving the selection, I had nothing against this gentleman. He came to my office, I gave him my key and I said to him: ”Mouyouma, you said that we were conceding too many goals and that we didn’t know how to score, be careful, don’t work like that’s because you can’t teach me.” Me, I am BEPF (highest level of football coaching diploma in France, Editor’s note), he has his diploma, he must do his job. He answers me : “Yes, excuse me coach, it is the press service of the Federation which misinterpreted my words“. At that moment, he tells me that I am an iconic trainer and that he wants to take a photo with me.
Since I left, I have not made a statement in the press (Patrice Neveu spoke in several titles in the local French press, Editor’s note). But today, it is not possible to have a coach like me buried for free by a little man like that.
Read alsoFoot: “We were failing in terms of discipline”, believes the Gabon coach
However, he does not mention you by name in the interview.
In a selection, who is responsible for discipline? The coach! So without mentioning my name, he names me, and I answer, I can’t let that happen. I am a coach, I made five selections. I am a passionate and committed trainer. We know that there are difficult situations, I left, I had to leave and I know under what conditions. When I left, I took responsibility, but this is too much. This man lies and polishes his shoes by himself.
That’s to say ?
When he says: “We need to restructure the entity at all levels. From the state of mind, from the discipline, from the patriotism, from the mental…”. But it’s a joke! My players were patriots, you yourself at RFI know that players slept on the ground before matches. I myself slept on the ground to go and play matches, and we managed them and qualified for the CAN anyway! Even if we slept on the ground in Gambia (The Gambian authorities blocked the selection all night at the airport, citing a lack of valid Covid tests, the day before a CAN 2021 qualifying match, Editor’s note). And aren’t my players patriots?
When we were playing in Congo (DRC) and the plane was about to crash and we stopped in Spain, the players went to play with 13 or 14 players, aren’t they patriots? (Patrice Neveu refers to a technical problem which forced their aircraft to land in Barcelona urgently during a trip between France and the DRC to play a qualifying match for the CAN in Cameroon won 1-0, Editor’s note).
When he says he arrived in a dilapidated selection, that’s not true!
And on the question of discipline?
But what indiscipline is he talking about? Is it the coach’s fault if we sleep on the ground in Gambia? What if the planes don’t leave on time?
Mr. Mouyouma was perhaps rather referring to certain issues, such as the cases of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang or Mario Lemina whom you excluded from the selection during CAN 2022.
Him, when he says “We all know why Aubameyang didn’t come to the first meeting‘… No, we don’t know! He took Guélor Kanga, he fired him, we don’t know what decision he made behind it. Aaron Boupendza no longer comes to the national team, we don’t know why. Didier Ndong no longer comes, we don’t know why.
I managed it internally to achieve results and we achieved results, we went to the CAN. When he says he arrived in a dilapidated selection, that’s not true! You will see, the players who will play against Ivory Coast are 80, even 90% of the players of my players that I brought to the selection. The players I had under my control were patriotic, motivated and disciplined at their level. After the specific cases of indiscipline, it’s something else.
What cases of indiscipline do you mention?
When I was at the head of the selection, when I dismissed someone, people asked me why. Why do you do this, why do you do that… He unfolded his thing, he uses terms like “indiscipline”, etc. but he doesn’t say anything behind it, it’s too easy! I have never managed an undisciplined team. My players were all combative and produced results against great teams.
Do you consider that the media coverage you received at the head of the selection is different from that of Mr. Mouyouma?
No not at all. He has more problems than me, because he has fewer exchanges than me with the players. He acts like a soldier, he takes them and bam, he throws them away. And then what does he do? He calls them back, he talks to the guy?
In Africa, we stay in hotels with 300/400 rooms. Do you think that the national coach is capable of controlling all the entrances to the hotel?
Where are you going with this?
When I took office, I considered myself a Gabonese and my mission was strong. As far as I know, at the CAN, the people stood up to applaud the players, we gave the country an identity back at the CAN in Cameroon! I handled discipline problems with clarity.
Last time, Mr. Mouyouma took Guélor Kanga and fired him (the player had brought his brother and sister-in-law to the hotel where his selection was staying according to a press release from the Federation, Editor’s note). But next time, will he be able, in a hotel he is going to, to monitor everything? So he will have things that he will hide and that he will not say and he will deal with them.
I have no comment to make regarding my departure
Do you consider it unfair not to have been reappointed at the head of the Gabonese selection?
Even if I did not qualify the team for the last CAN, I still took on Gabon. When I arrived, my colleagues Daniel Cousin and José Antonio Camacho (his predecessors, Editor’s note) had done what they could. When I arrived, Boupendza was sidelined, Guélor Kanga was sidelined, Aubameyang was gone… I just did my job to restore discipline to the team.
In the CAN qualifiers, with three matches remaining, we had 7 points. We still had Sudan, DR Congo and Mauritania to play, we needed 10 points to pass. But we were arriving at a period where, in the country, it was very complicated politically (military coup end of August, Editor’s note). This had an impact on the functioning of the team.
I had started work, restructuring the team. I left, I did four years and I think I did a certain amount of work. Afterwards, it is the law of the profession. That’s how it is, I have no comment to make regarding my departure, it’s a decision. It’s a decision that belongs to the authorities, it’s up to them, we’ll see the consequences behind it. Today, I wish them to qualify for the World Cup.
Are you currently looking for a new challenge?
It is obvious that I still want to work in football. Will it be in Africa, elsewhere, in what position, how? I’m exploring some avenues. I already have a few.