French women’s team: for Hervé Renard, Kheira Hamraoui “is one of the selectable players”

Just under two months before the start of the Women’s World Cup (July 20-August 20), it’s time for the final adjustments for Hervé Renard. Tuesday, June 6 at 4 p.m., the new coach of Les Bleues will communicate the list of players who will fly to Australia and New Zealand. If Wendie Renard and Eugénie Le Sommer, recalled at the last gathering, should indeed be part of the trip, Delphine Cascarino, injured in the knee, had to forfeit this Thursday. Uncertainty remains, however, for striker Marie-Antoinette Katoto, who will undergo medical examinations on Tuesday, but also for PSG midfielder Kheira Hamraoui, mired in extra-sports affairs and not selected for the last two matches. of the Blues.

The former FC Barcelona player was the victim of an ambush in November 2021 against the backdrop of a sporting rivalry with her teammate Aminata Diallo. The latter, considered to be the “sponsor of the violence” was indicted on September 16, 2022 for “aggravated violence” and “criminal association” before being released under judicial supervision on September 21. A long judicial soap opera, logically responsible for a decline in the sports performance of Kheira Hamraoui. But in recent weeks, the ex-Lyonnaise, holder in the last four women’s D1 matches, seems to be getting back on track. To the point of convincing Hervé Renard to issue him a ticket for the next World Cup? “She is one of the selectable players,” said the interested party on Europe 1.

“I am attached to the sporting aspect”

The 54-year-old technician assures him: the extra-sporting setbacks of Kheira Hamraoui are not a criterion likely to influence his choice. “I was far away in Saudi Arabia. I heard about it but I was not at the heart of all these stories. So somewhere, it does not concern me. Me, I focus on the sporting aspect and if I feel like I need her, I’ll call her back,” he continued.

The former Morocco coach now intends to focus on the future of this France team. “I don’t look in the rear view mirror because I didn’t have the right vehicle, I wasn’t there. I don’t really know what happened and then, honestly, I didn’t look too hard to understand,” he said. For Hervé Renard, the key to success lies in the ability to “federate, bring everyone in the same direction”. “I don’t take into account the little stories that there may be. I focus on the sporting aspect,” he insisted.

Kheira Hamraoui (right) on May 13 in the final of the Women’s French Cup against OL
Credit: MELANIE LAURENT / A2M SPORT CONSULTING / DPPI VIA AFP

At 33, Kheira Hamraoui has 32 selections with the France team. In the tricolor jersey, the midfielder participated in the 2015 World Cup, the Rio Olympics in 2016 and the Women’s Euro in 2017. Not selected by Corinne Deacon for the 2019 World Cup organized in France, she is however recalled by the former coach last February during the Tournoi de France won by Les Bleues.