"We're not lagging behind the best in Europe and France." This is the assessment made by David Laubertie after the French tour of the Alima Academy, founded by Blaise Matuidi, of which he is the director. Arriving on June 23 from Congo-Brazzaville, the U13 squad challenged by FC Issy-les-Moulineaux, Racing Club de France, and a French youth national team, bringing together the best players from the Paris region. The team's three objectives were: "To conduct a sporting assessment of the players and to introduce them and expose them to a new culture." For the coach, who also competed for the AS Dakar Sacré-Cœur football club, the mission was more than accomplished, with three victories for his players (20-0, 14-1, and 2-1). “The nice surprise was that we showed a lot of cohesion. Everyone felt like we'd been playing together for a long time, even though the boys have only been together for ten months, because it's their first year at the academy.” The Frenchman was able to test his young players in the most competitive match, against Team France: “We were behind in the 50th minute and I didn't know how we were going to react emotionally and mentally, but it was through our play that we came back and took the lead. We were able to manage a difficult moment without losing our desire to offer something,” stated the technical director as he returned to Africa with his squad. These are young players who are already eager to return to test themselves in Europe.
Brief
The Alima Congolese academy, set up by Blaise Matuidi, impressed the Paris region by winning all three of its matches / ©DR