Nice's caretaker-coach Didier Digard will not be allowed to attend any European press conferences until further notice
Terem Moffi has enjoyed a decent start to life at Nice, contributing to five goals in seven games for the club and getting his first taste of European action since moving to France, but the peculiar nature of Nice’s current set-up means that his coach, Didier Digard, has been barred from attending press conferences in the UEFA Europa Conference League.
Digard barred from making European press conferences
Nice play Sheriff Tiraspol in the UECL round of 16 second leg after already claiming a slim 1-0 win in the reverse fixture, but unlike other UECL clubs, Nice did not have their manager at the pre-match press conference because they were barred from doing so by UEFA.
UEFA prevented Nice’s caretaker coach Didier Digard from speaking at press conferences because he is still yet to complete his coaching license, and this goes against the European governing body’s laws.
UEFA laws prevent unlicensed coaches from attending press conferences in any of their competitions and also prevent them from being regarded as first-team managers in European matches.
Digard to appear as assistant manager in European games
Digard, who played with PSG, Middlesbrough, and Nice before becoming coach of Nice’s B team and finally caretaker coach of the first team, was able to appear at the press conferences in the first leg thanks to a 60-day window that UEFA gives to allow managers to get their licenses.
Now that the 60-day window is over and Digard still does not have his license, he will not be allowed to partake in UEFA matches or the media engagement before or after them.
To circumvent UEFA’s policies, Nice’s assistant manager Julien Sable was asked to stand in for Digard at the pre-match press conference and will also be registered as the team’s coach in the second leg against Sheriff as he has already obtained his coaching license.
Digard will still be on the touchline, handing out instructions during the game, but he will be doing so while registered as Sable’s assistant for the match.
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