Boos to the ovation, whatever happens Jonathan Clauss is not about to forget his first tenure in the France team. RC Lens player, the neo-international started the match against South Africa on the lawn of Losc, the great regional rival of Sang et Or.
A rivalry that was invited from the pre-match. On the night of Monday to Tuesday, his portrait displayed in front of the Pierre Mauroy stadium was the only one to be tagged. Then, during the announcement of the composition of the teams, his name was copiously whistled. Same thing at the start of the match when as soon as Clauss touched the ball, he was booed by a good part of the public. A reaction that did not please Didier Deschamps at all.
He turned the tables
“I find it regrettable, to put it mildly, what happened in the first half. It goes against the France team. But over the course of the match, those who stupidly demonstrated with whistles, it was reduced by what he was doing on the field. It is his merit, ”said the coach.
And for good reason, Jonathan Clauss managed to turn the situation around thanks to his good performance. From the first period, another part of the public encouraged him to tone down the whistles. Upon returning from the locker room, the boos even faded and Clauss ended up leaving at the end of the match to a magnificent ovation from the Pierre Mauroy stadium. A calculated choice by Didier Deschamps.
“These people are not supporters”
“That’s also why I took it out. I prefer to see the whole stadium cheering. I can understand the rivalry between the clubs, but I make sure to create unity with players who come from different backgrounds. These people (who whistle) are not supporters. It makes no sense, it has no place. Moreover, the fact of talking about it is to give them importance, ”continued the coach.
Still, Jonathan Clauss has probably scored points for the future during this funny evening. Despite this very particular context, the 29-year-old has proven that he is much more than just a joker. “He did what he does well. He put a lot of dynamism, he is able to defend, he was quite often in an overflow position. That’s what I told him: not to play with the handbrake. Jonathan is no different from the others, he is a player among the 23”, concluded Deschamps. No offense to the Lille haters, we should soon see Jonathan Clauss again in the blue jersey.
