As French coach terms WC first step towards success at Paris Olympics
ROURKELA: France coach Frederic Soyez couldn't have hoped for a better turnaround – a win against South Africa – after the thrashing at the hands of Australia in their tournament opener.
But they will look to do one better as they take on Argentina in their last group game at Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium here on Friday.
Both the French and the Argentine players have been looking ahead to the game, and have been quite vocal, especially after their football World Cup final that saw the South Americans win via the penalty shootout.
It's sure to be a nail-biter and a positive result will do a whole lot of good for French hockey stars, who have their eyes on the Paris Olympics.
"Playing at the Olympics is a big objective. We still have 18 months before the Paris Games and we must keep working to be ready for the competition. However, the first step is the World Cup, then the second step is the European Championships in August," said Soyez, who was the Spain coach in the last World Cup and led them to a fifth-spot finish at the 2016 Olympics.
France's hockey team's hopes have risen after some positive results in recent times. Not only did they shock India and Argentina in the Pro League last year, but they also bagged the bronze medal in the Junior Hockey World Cup in 2021.
Despite that, there's a long way to go for France if they want to finish on the podium at the Olympics. "There are only about 50,000 players in France and the game is popular mainly in the north of Paris. Then there are other sports as well and it's complicated for the kids to start hockey," said the coach.
"We also do not have the budget to compete with Belgium, Australia, and the Netherlands. Most probably we have the lowest budget among the teams here."
The French hockey federation has, however, started to promote the game recently and is hoping to attract more fans and initiate more players to the game. Also, like the coach said, their trip has been taken care of by the ministry and they have had a reasonably good budget.
"But as a coach, you always want more," the French coach also added.
Personally, for Soyez, whose father was a hockey trainer and mother a gymnast, the chance to participate in the Paris Olympics is the completion of a childhood dream. "Coming from a sports family, from five years old, I had dreamt of playing at the Olympics. And now I will finally get a chance to represent my country on the biggest stage of all," said a beaming Soyez.
Meanwhile, one of world hockey's hottest stars Timothee Clement will be playing on Friday after being part of the France reserves. He has replaced Stanislas Branicki, who got injured during the match against South Africa.
Today's matches (Rourkela): Group A: Australia vs South Africa, Argentina vs France; Group B: Belgium vs Japan, Korea vs Germany.
