It’s the same with football

Masebe Qina: Coach, welcome to the pages of Soccer Laduma! How have you been adjusting to life in South Africa?

Romain Folz: Yeah, everything is okay, thank you. I adjusted quickly to the new environment and that was not a problem. Everything is okay and people here are very nice and they welcomed me very nicely. Everything is going well within the club and there is no problem. We are getting to know each other, me and the people who were here before me, so it’s work in progress, but everything is going well and there are no problems at all.

MQ: How did your move to Marumo Gallants happen?

RF: During my time in Botswana with (Towninterclubs ship) Rollers, I had est coming from in the PSL and when the seafinished, son in Botswana I assessed my options and Marumo was one of those and I thought coming this side was the best option for me, although I had a couple of others. We started the talks and reached an agreedone ment and it was a deal. Yeah, that’s how it came up.

MQ: What were those other options you had?

RF: No, I can’t talk about that, I’m sorry.

MQ: How much did you know about the PSL?

RF:

I knew quite a lot. Being in the country nearby in the previous season, I had an idea, alwatch though I didn’t all the games, obviously. After it was clear that I would be coming here, I watched every game of the past season for my team (Gallants) and I watched every game from every other team. So, my knowledge of the league is quite good and it can always be better. I can always improve on my knowledge and everything, but I think everything that I needed to know I knew about it before coming.

MQ: In your view, how’s the standard here?

RF: It’s one of the best leagues in Africa, so the stanthe dard is high. All teams are giving it their best shot in every game and you can see that all the games are quite tight. It’s a very competitive league and I think that’s what everyone likes. Everyone aims to have a comand petitive game competitive encounter and that I knew becourse. fore coming, of

players react day at the

MQ: How did the to you in your first club?

RF: It was fine. Honestly, there was not any difference for me in my first day here and the first day I had at my previous club in Botswana, or the first day I had in Ghana or wherever. It’s only a matter of introducing yourself and introducing what you want to achieve with them. Obviously, there’s always that hope that you bring something new and fresh. It’s a matter of how you approach things, knowenvironment ing the and knowwant ing what you to achieve and in what amount of time. The first day went just fine and we had a good session, where we evaluated the physical levels of the guys after we introduced ourselves to one another. But everything was not done on the first day, it took days and weeks for us to know one another a little bit better. But everything went smoothly and everyone at the club welcomed me warmly and since then, everything just went fine.

As a tricenarian (person between 30 and 39 years old), Romain Folz is e youngest coach in the DStv remiership, but despite his age, the French-Moroccan mentor is determined to succeed in his ambition of leading Marumo Gallants to greater heights. The UEFA Pro Licence holder was previously with Botswana giants Township Rollers, the side he led to second place last season. In this interview with Soccer Laduma’s Masebe Qina, Folz talks about his move to the club and how he is adjusting to the league. Furthermore, he gives an idea of what he is all about and what can be expected from the team under his guidance. The soft-spoken coach confirms that he had a chat with countryman Sebastien Migné, who had a three-month spell with Gallants last season, on what to expect at the Limpopo-based outfit.

MQ: tell

what

What did you the players on needs to be achieved for the season? RF:

I think on the first day you don’t have to tell them those kinds of things about the objectives and everything because you will have more time to do that. I just told them about the expectations in terms of work ethic and in terms of the dedication to the task at hand. I’m a strong believer that communication is key to anything to do with success. So, I also made sure that that point of communicabe tion needs to at top-notch level. I think many of the things that were discussed we have done them corand rectly so far the message was well-received. Since that day, we’ve been working very well and the communication has been excellent beand tween myself the players, and my staff included. We’ve had no problems and the message that we shared since the first day got understood by everyone.

MQ: What’s your football philosophy?

RF:

I like to have control of things. I like… even thou gh you’re always surprised in football games and you always have moments that you need to adapt to, but my ambition is to try and minimise those as thoroughly as possible. I like to have as most control as possible on the events that are happening during the game, whether that is with the ball or without the ball, knowing exactly what we have to do. I feel like, as a team, if you can complete the game plan close to maximum ti*me during the game, you can execute exactly what you are looking to do. To get into a little bit more detail, I like to have a team capable of being comfortable on the ball and very much aggressive and dangerous when it comes to offensive transitions. So, it’s a matter of finding the right balance. Even my life outside of football, I’m someone who is very much looking to get the right balance in everything I do. It’s the same with football – there’s a time to be a little bit more dangerous on offensive play and there’s a time to be a little bit more patient on the possession and there are times to increase the pace, so it’s a matter of knowing what to do and (at) what time. So, I’m a strong believer in that and I like to have my team keep the ball, to be very difficult to play against. I don’t like to give the edge to the opponents. Maybe for 10-15 minutes, we might let them have possession of the ball because maybe we need to adapt and re-assess a little bit and regenerate physically, but it’s all about the game and I don’t like to give the opponents control.

MQ: Last season, Gallants reached the final of the Nedbank Cup under previous coach Dan Malesela. What’s your promise to the fans about this season?

RF:

As a club, and I’m not talking just for myself, the promise that we can make is that we’ll fight in every game, whatever competition we’re involved in. Whether it’s the league, cup or CAF, we’ll give our very best in every game and no matter the circumstances, we’ll always give our best that we can do. That’s the promise we can give to them, and I’ll be in charge in making sure that everybody is aligned with that. In terms of being there and finishing in this position and that position, I’m a believer that performance brings the results. As much as we are able to put in performances back-toback, the results will determine where we are on any of the competitions. I don’t think it will be wise to say we want this and that or we want to finish here and there. We are building something new and it’s still fresh for the players and the only promise that we can make is that we’ll give everything for the fans. If the performances are here, and they will be here, soon the results will follow.

MQ: Your countryman, Sebastien Migné, had a stint with the club last season. Did you get any advice from him on what to expect?

RF:

Yeah, well, he is someone I knew from a long time ago, even before he came to South Africa. I’ve known him for many years and I did have a chat with him before flying to South Africa, but that conversation I will keep private between me and him. But he gave me his thoughts and he gave me his advice, and it’s always good to get advice from people who have experienced things beforehand. I took his advice and I will use it wisely when the time is right.

MQ: What’s the mandate from management?

RF:

It’s exactly the same that I’ve told you about, and the same that I told the players.

MQ: Coach, after the recent 1-1 draw with Golden Arrows, you spoke about ‘external factors’. Care to elaborate?

RF:

Regarding that, yes, I know what I said, but honestly, I wouldn’t say more on it than what I said and there’s no point in addressing that at the moment. I’m focused on the task that we have in front of us and that’s my only priority and that is to work with the team at the moment and the rest is secondary to me. I do not wish to elaborate on that. I am focused on the team and that’s my only priority.

MQ: Is there any interference in your job?

RF:

I’m not sure what you mean by ‘interference’, but there’s no such thing.

MQ: Hmmm. Having lost to Orlando Pirates in your most recent match, are you under pressure? RF:

We just lost to Orlando Pirates, despite having played very good football. There is always pressure and I’m aware of that. It goes with the job, and I fully accept and embrace it.

“I like to have a team capable of being comfortable on the ball.”

“That conversation I will keep private between me and him.”

MQ: As the youngest coach in the league, are you under pressure to prove yourself? RF:

Yeah, I was told this just before the first game (of the season) that I was the youngest coach in the league and I didn’t know this. Look, it’s a good thing to know but, to be honest, I’m not someone who puts too much attention or focus on those kinds of things. It’s good to hear, but look, I believe it (pressure) comes with the job and once you are a head coach in such a league, you have pressure coming your way and you must bring the results. You have fans behind you and waiting for you to bring something. So, me being the youngest in the league, maybe it puts me under extra pressure, but to be honest with you, I don’t feel that, and I think pressure is part of the job. The pressure for me, I welcome it very much and I welcome even more pressure and I’m

very happy with it.

MQ: Coach, thank you for chatting to us and we wish you all the success.

RF: Thank you, my friend. ❐

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