On Saturday, OGC Nice announced the temporary closure of the academy because of Covid-19 cases in the ranks of the young Aiglons. On Monday, Manu Pires, the academy director, gave us a complete rundown of the situation.

Manu, first of all, how are the youngsters?

Everybody is doing very well. Happily, despite certain positive cases, we didn't have any major health problems to deal with. That said, we have to stay disciplined and go with the decisions made by the medical staff and the Regional Health Agency, and that's why we've decided to temporarily close the academy, to conform to the advice and the protocol to be respected. We need to be exemplary to all the different structures that welcome youngsters. We have taken a lot of precautions, and we'll continue to take them, as the most important thing is health.

How will the week go for the youngsters?

Our priority is that their schooling continues. That's the case and they're doing 100% distance learning with teachers available in order to ensure their lessons go ahead. We had planned for this scenario and that's why we were quickly able to put things in place. We needed to put the organisation into place in order not to lose all the benefits of the work put in. That goes in schooling as well as football terms. As for what comes next, it's the same thing: we're preparing for everything in order to not be caught out.

In sporting terms, how will you ensure the continuity of the work?

We're in contact with the players. They have a physical programme to follow exclusively at home and they're followed up by fitness coaches for each category. They also get video analysis of their games or of L1 games. They have time on their hands and watching these images must help them think and move forward, while staying connected with reality and our demands. We already had a similar experience during confinement and it worked very well. We are also attentive to the methods that have been put in place elsewhere and that might help us to deal better with the situation.

What about the games that have been postponed?

We're in the process of rearranging the postponed matches. We have found the dates and now we need the nod from the FFF to confirm them. With the professional clubs it is easier to rearrange the games at the start of the week. But frankly the amateur clubs have also been exemplary. Everyone is finding solutions and there is real solidarity in place. That's very good as we need to find good solutions together.

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