By Jean-Chrsitophe Collin

 

 

It is a little piece of heaven, at 540 km east of the Cape, sea kissed by the Indian Ocean. The Pezula Private Castle, at Noetzie Beach, with its fine sandy beach, its lagoon, and its golf. A heavenly splendour, not to relax in after a testing season, but to participate in the World cup in South Africa.

Indeed, it is there that Raymond Domenech and his players are going to establish their base camp. The staff considered that it was necessary for them to have luxury, peace and sensual pleasure. So be it. However, it is not the Jacuzzis which make a debate about this place, but its geographical situation: at the edge of the ocean, that is to say at zero altitude.

 

The distinctive feature of this World Cup is that most of the meetings (37 out of 64) are going to be played at over 1 000 m in altitude. If France plays its first match on June 11th at the Cape, at sea level against Uruguay, it will meet then meet Mexico the 17th at Polokwane, at 1 310 m, then South Africa on the 22nd, at Bloemfontein, at 1 400 m. According to its classification, the French team could compete for one the 1/8th final or a quarterfinal in Johannesburg, at 1 753 m altitude. Knowing that if it reaches up to there, the final will also be played at Jo' Burg, on the 11^th of July.

 

Naturally, this is not about mountaineering. But France will very likely play at average altitude. "We consider that at 1 700 m, there is between 5 and 10 % loss of performance, explains doctor Jean-Paul Richalet, who is in charge of the physiology service and functional explorations at the Avicenne hospital at Bobigny, the big expert on activity in altitude. “The decline of the atmospheric pressure entails a decline in the quantity of oxygen available on the muscular activity and we are thus less successful” (read framed page XX). The football players repeat enough that the contests are won on details, 5 to 10 %, we are beyond the detail. "Indeed, at a very high level, 5 % on a match of ninety minutes, we perceive the difference,” assures professor Richalet.

 

 

How to prepare for this difficulty?

 

The theories have evolved through time, in particular since 1968 in the Olympic Games in Mexico City (2 200 m in altitude), when, for the first time, the question was really posed to the sportsmen. It is for this purpose that we created the preparation base of Font-Romeu (1 850 m), where a number of sportsmen are going to get ready, even if, since 1997, the “Blues” have set their heart on the Savoyard ski resort of Tignes. Henceforth, we know that by staying in altitudes, we increase the number of red blood cells (which transport oxygen towards the muscles). It allows gaining in stamina. On the other hand, we train in a less effective way. "The maximal cardiac frequency is not as high as that at sea level”, explains doctor Richalet. “We feel more comfortable in stamina, but we do not get the power back. It is necessary to lower the training load.”

 

 

It is accepted today that the best solution for work in altitude thus consists in sleeping at the top and training in the plain. It is apparently the option which certain teams have chosen, at least to remain in altitude such as Italy, Germany, Brazil or South Africa itself, which will stay between 1 400 and 1 600 m. For the eight teams which chose to settle at less than 400 m in altitude, of which France and Denmark, literally by the sea, "it has been advised against arriving at 1 700m at the last moment.” “It is advisable to have a dose of sufficient altitude during the week preceding the match”, assures doctor Richalet.

 

 

The staff of the French team retained none of these options and chose to stay at sea level during the whole pooling phase. Who decided this choice and at which moment?

 

Once the qualification was acquired, on 18th November of last year, after the elimination of Eire at the Stade de France, Pierre Rochcongar, the FFF doctor had declared that a unit of experts was going to be organized to define at best the model of preparation. Doctor Richalet had been quoted to be part of this unit but he maintains: "I was not called upon because when this committee was evoked, the decision on the choice of the base camp had already been taken.”

 

 

In fact, the Federation’s medical committee just made suggestions, as explains its president, Professor Pierre Rochcongar. "We expressed opinions; we especially insisted that there be a training course in altitude during the preparation before going to South Africa. Later, it was the staff and the France Club who were authorized to choose the places of residence according to a set of criteria.” Thus, it was the staff of the French team and the France Club who finally decided on the options.

 

«We are working on this file since last March claims Jean-Louis Valentin, the Federation Manager. The business was managed by five to six people.” Alain Boghossian, Raymond Domenech, Pierre Mankowski and Bruno Martini, went to visit several sites, all proposed by Fifa. "Diverse criteria came into play, explains Valentin: the climate, because we shall be in winter; the number of rooms, which was not to be important for it not to be too expensive; the quality of the training grounds; the user friendly spaces and the altitude. Finally, two or three hotels had been retained at the time of the match against Lithuania, in April. Then the definite agreement intervened after the match against Ireland, in mid-November.” Thus, the Pezula Private was chosen which is situated at sea level.

 

Why was this camp base chosen?

 

"I do not want to communicate on this, explains Robert Duverne, this is part of our strategy. And then, who today can claim to take advantage of our experience, what we have lived? Who has fifteen years at top level, who has such a prize list to come and say that our choices are bad? I am permanently in contact with several specialists, such as Véronique Billat.” Permanent Contact, that's going a bit far. Robert Duverne nevertheless consulted Véronique Billat, Director of the LEPHE (Laboratory for the study of physiology in exercise), in Evry, who, it is true, recommends to stay at sea level. "It allows continuing to train hard, she explains, which we cannot do in altitude, where we lose proteins and muscular strength. We also privilege recovery, a fundamental element of the performance, because in altitude we don’t sleep as well.”

 

This seems to indicate that as in 2006, the French team made the bet that it will pass the first round without too many difficulties and that it will prepare the final contest during the pooling phase. Exactly as in the World cup in Germany. The week of the match against Togo, the French team had continued to train hard with the aim of the 16th against Spain. Thus, it had taken the risk of sticking during a major pool match, but this strategy had turned out to pay for the continuation of the competition where it had physically outstripped its opponents.

 

In the case of the coming World Cup, we said the problem was that it will be playing against Mexico and South Africa in the first round, at 1 300 m and 1 400 m in altitude "where the level of performance decreases from 3 to 8 %", explains Doctor Richalet. Except that the Mexicans will not have this decline, notably in VO2 max, because they are naturally acclimatized to altitude. "It can have its effect at the end of a match, where we know that differences often lie, says doctor Richalet. To compete for this kind of meeting, it is advisable for one to have lived in altitude. For example, it is necessary to know that the foot ball reacts differently, because there is less resistance in the air. The goalkeepers must be particularly prepared for this.”

 

Concerning this technical aspect, the French team can count on the training course at Tignes, which will take place between 18th and 25th May, at 2 100 m. But this training course is so short that the players, on the other hand, cannot take advantage of the physiological benefits for the competition. Thus, during the pooling phase, they will not have lived in altitude. "All the same, it would be

necessary to go up at least two days before the match,” Véronique Billat agrees. … In fact, the French team should be better trained than its opponents but not as acclimatized for the conditions of the match.”

 

 

The French team’s staff does not intend to adopt this strategy any longer, because it has decided not to remain in its initial base camp during the whole competition. The decision to change hotel at the conclusion of the pool phase should be confirmed by the Club France on April 8th of this year. Finally to settle down more in altitude so that the French team acclimatizes for the contests for which it will have to compete in Johannesburg at 1 753 m if everything goes for the best.” Altitude will be a factor, concludes Doctor Richalet, but it will not be the main factor in the performance.”

 

Jean-Christophe Collin

 

(1) In the newspaper "L’équipe" of December 2nd, 2009.