It is a painful memory. Present in the extended list of 28 players retained by Aimé Jacquet on the sidelines of the 1998 World Cup, Lionel Letizi experienced a terrible disillusionment. The former PSG porter was ousted from the French team group three weeks before the first game of the tournament. Like Martin Djetou, Pierre Laigle, Sabri Lamouchi, Ibrahim Ba and Nicolas Anelka.
In balance with Lionel Charbonnier to be goalkeeper number 3 on the list of 22 players selected for the World Cup in France, Lionel Letizi returned to this sad episode during an interview with The voice of the guards. “” I knew I was in competition with Lionel Charbonnier because there was Barthez and Lama “, First recalled the current coach of the Bleues goalkeepers.
And to add: ” We trained, we did the maximum. We expected a little to know how it was going to happen. One evening, we are summoned to the coach's room, Aimé Jacquet. And there, we are the six with all the staff. We understood … When I got into the room, I saw that it was time … »»
Letizi: “It was a little stormy”
At the time porter of FC Metz, Lionel Letizi remembers that this meeting with the other five excluded players was somewhat tense. “” Afterwards, it went more or less wellhe explained. It was a little stormy but I was young, so I said nothing, I listened. He had given us the choice to sleep again at the castle or to leave immediately. Some wanted to leave right away so we all left. I returned to Metz overnight, brought back by car by a security guy. He had done three hours by car to bring me back to Metz. The next morning, I was at home in Metz and I prepared my things to go on vacation. »»
The rest of the story everyone knows it, the Blues will be crowned world champion for the first time in their history, on July 12, 1998, after having beat Brazil 3-0 in the final at the Stade de France. A match attended Letizi, happy at first, then bitter … “ I was in the final, he said. It made me happy to go there and I was happy for them. It was after I had a backlash in September, October. »»
