France’s defeat against Argentina and the consequent shock exit from World Championship: Giani’s unusual request

In a dramatic World Championship verdict in Pool C in Quezon City, Argentina stunned Olympic champions France in a thrilling five-set game, sealing their spot in the Round of 16 and sending the rivals home already in the Pool stage.

And, as you expected, winners celebrated passionately after their victory. However, France’s head coach Andrea Giani made headlines for an unusual post-match gesture.
According to some Argentine media, he approached Marcelo Méndez’s team and asked them to tone down their celebrations out of respect for his players, some of whom had just played their final match in the national team jersey.

“Honestly, I think he thought we were celebrating against them, but in reality we celebrate the same way in every match. He possibly took it as an ‘attack’ toward them. We told him politely that no, we celebrated like this when we beat Poland, and we celebrate like this in every match we’re lucky enough to win. We never celebrate at the other team—it was a celebration for ourselves. He interpreted it in his own way, we explained it to him, and that was it. He left in a good way, so nothing happened,” commented Argentine captain Luciano De Cecco.

As you can imagine, social media quickly lit up with debate over italian expert’s request, with some saw it as a call for sportsmanship in the face of defeat, while others criticized it as unsporting, especially since cameras had earlier caught France attempting gamesmanship tactics during the match.

Either way, for Argentina, the victory was a great satisfaction and a well-deserved milestone, while for France, it marked the end of an era, featuring also two Olympic Golds in a row.

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