Despite the title won on Monday evening by the women’s ASVEL in LFB, Tony Parker did not have the heart to party. The president of the Rhone club has thus stepped up to defend Marine Johannès, in conflict with the France team.
The party is a bit spoiled on the side of the female ASVEL. Crowned champions of France on Monday evening, a month after winning the Eurocup, the Villeurbannaises could not savor this beautiful double as they would have liked. The fault of what should already be called “the Johannès affair”. An essential player in the Rhone training and the France team, Marine Johannès finds herself at the heart of a standoff with the staff of the Bleues who, according to The teamseriously considering doing without her for Euro 2023 (from June 15 to 25 in Slovenia and Israel).
For Parker, ” it makes no sense ! »
The reason for this conflict? In the wake of the LFB finals, the rear of the Lionesses (28 years old, 108 caps) has planned to make an express round trip to the United States to join New York Liberty, in the WNBA, before returning to the selection on 1is June. A purely administrative getaway, which would not be to the taste of the tricolor coaching staff, coach Jean-Aimé Toupane wishing to have his full group to start preparation, from Thursday in Toulouse. “Very unfair”said Tony Parker, president of ASVEL women, who stepped up to defend his protege.
“I think what’s going on around her is very unfair. She’s an incredible girl, she wants to play for the France team. She hasn’t missed a summer since 2015. Us boys, the Fed let us go and sign our contracts, they should do the same to the girlssaid “TP”, quoted by The Parisian. I support Marina. She is perhaps the best player in France at the moment and you want to tell me that you want to do a Euro without Marine Johannès? It makes no sense ! » Especially, therefore, since in the past the FFBB has often been able to free up time for its NBA players…
Batum finds that ” extremely disgusting”
“With the boys, Nicolas Batum had missed official matches, had joined us during the qualifying tournament for the 2016 Olympic Games and we had accepted himrecalled the Hall of Famer. For Marine, we are talking about five days and friendly matches… Marine deserves to be in the France team and she wants to play in the France team, it has to be said! All she has to do is go sign her contract and come back, like we’ve done so many times for the boys. » Les Bleues, who are aiming for gold this summer, do they really have the means to do without such an asset?
Despite several medals, the France team has not won the Euro since 2009. “The ultimatum that was put over his head, I find that extremely disgustingdropped Nicolas Batum, winger of the Los Angeles Clippers, on First Team. I’m defending someone very dear to me. We don’t have a lot of people who have that level. Stop freaking out! This girl has blue blood in her veins. She wants to do everything. Let her handle it. She was crying on TV. This girl lives for this sport; She never missed a thing…” Even if the FFBB changes its mind, the damage is done.