Erick Mathé, new MHB coach: “When Montpellier contacted me, I said to myself “fuck off!””

Erick Mathé had just extended his contract with Chambéry when he first contacted Julien Deljarry. Midi Libre – MICHAEL ESDOURRUBAILH

During an interview with Midi Libre to be published on Sunday 1st September before the start of the season on Tuesday 3rd September in the Coupe de France in Sélestat, the new MHB coach spoke about his first contact with the Hérault club when he had just extended his contract with Chambéry.

When one of the biggest clubs in the history of handball contacts you, it shouldn't leave you indifferent. To his dismay for a while, Erick Mathé learned this the hard way.

Then coach of Chambéry since 2018, the now former assistant of the French team saw the MHB approaching in order to convince him to be the new coach following the departure of Patrice Canayer after 30 years of good and loyal service.

An extension for “Chambé” just before

But it was not the best of times for the Nanterre native, by his own admission. “When Montpellier contacted me, I said to myself: “fuck off!”, he explains in an interview to be published Sunday, September 1st in Midi Libre.

“Because I had just re-signed with Chambéry.”Of course, there were already rumors, but the decision was in Patrice's hands, and I don't think he played on that, but he didn't didn't know how to position himself yet, I really think so”, he continues.

A first in the history of handball ?

“And my former president, who is far from being the last to come, since I think that he and Patrice are the two oldest in French handball, he had sensed the blow. At the last match in December 2023, we had a meal with the employees, and I was leaving with the French team. He asked me to come, and he had a contract proposal for the next four years, which was far from being crazy, which was a very good position, and he told me: “You have two days to respond”, relates Mathé.

But although he accepted the Savoyard president's proposal to extend his contract until 2027, with the desire not to send any signal to Chambéry, the former assistant to Patrice Canayer still ended up returning to l’Hérault.

"For me it was impossible to come to Montpellier. I had three years left on my contract. I think I must be the first coach to be bought out after three years of contract, he relates. I don't think I've ever bought out a coach in France, maybe abroad… So I told myself that it was dead, I think that Julien (Deljarry) did too, since his first choice wasn't me, so my first thought was really: “Fait chier!”.”

The interview with Erick Mathé can be found Sunday morning in the newspaper Midi Libre and in full on midilibre.fr