Laurent Tillie to leave French national team

There will be a new coach at the head of Les Bleus after the Tokyo Olympics. After taking over from Philippe Blain in 2012, Laurent Tillie has decided to step down, as revealed by L'Equipe.

It is a surprising decision for the coach of the French volleyball team just over four years before the 2024 Paris Olympics. But Tillie was offered a contract that was financially difficult to turn down, at least three years with Osaka, one of the two major clubs in the Japanese Championship.

The Panasonic Panthers, who have just lost the final behind closed doors to coronavirus, wanted a renowned foreign coach to succeed Franco-Brazilian Mauricio Paes, former coach of Paris Volley, who arrived in Japan in 2016. At present, the contract with the Japanese management has not yet been signed, an indirect consequence of the health crisis.

An extensive list of honours

After having turned down several offers from foreign clubs because his 3rd son Killian was still at home (his eldest son Kim plays in the French basketball team and his 2nd son Kévin plays with the French volleyball team), the former international player (406 selections) decided to accept a new challenge especially since his 3rd and last son now plays in the American university championship at Gonzaga.

He will remain as the best coach in the history of French volleyball with a European Championship title in 2015 and two World Leagues in 2015 and 2017. After a failed Euro in France last September (4th), Laurent Tillie will want to go out the front door by trying to win the first Olympic medal in tricolour volleyball at the Tokyo Olympics next summer.

Thank you Laurent !

#LaurentTillie #EuropeanChampionships2015 #WorldLeague2017 #France #ParisVolley #KevinTillie #WorldLeague2015 #EuropeanChampionships2019 #PanasonicPanthers