Am I the only one having flashbacks as I read about Fabien Barthez and his TIG (Travaux d'Interet Generaux)? I can still see myself coming down the stairs on another dreary Monday morning in Picardie and checking out the big board in front of the Sergeant-of-the-week's office... I remember having to wash a lot of hallways. As long as they were shiny, who cares if they were clean? Fabien's TIG seem like more fun... It'd be great if he got stuck doing gate duty at 2 AM with a Sergeant named Pourchier (I'm not making this up)--that seems like a much better punishment for spitting on a ref. But I guess he got to do his service in Joinville--does anyone out there know how real that military experience is? My impression was that it was basically an athlete's retreat.
don't know what you are talking about, but ... maréchal-des-logis always sounded better than sergent.
Barthez was given 10 TIG to complete in order, I believe, to shorten his suspension. One of the recent ones was to participate in a training session for young goalkeepers--hardly a stretch (I read about it in France Football--it warranted a full article, believe it or not! Ah, the off-season...). As for my trip down memory lane--in the French army TIG were the pain in the ass duties you were assigned on a weekly basis to complete between breakfast and whatever came afterwards (or maybe before breakfast? I'm a little hazy on this). Basically you made whatever you were assigned to "clean" shiny and then you stood around until somebody told you to go. Like everything else in the army, it was a complete waste of time. I just found it very funny that they called Barthez's punishment TIG, is all. My question about Joinville was serious, though. Lemerre was a coach there, and just about all of the French internationals played there and competed in the military world championships. I'm curious if it was a sinecure or not...
Ze "bataillon de Joinville" where all the high-level athletes doing their military service went is no more ... since the armed forces went pro ... it's now the SHND but I don't think there is soccer anymore ... I could be wrong though ... I know there is skiing, rowing, and some other sports. Do you have a link to the article about fabulous Fab ? About TIG, I remember them being done between breakfast and le rassemblement before going to the regular duties of the day ... if screwed up, they were to be redone after dinner.
I figured Joinville is gone. I was probably one of the last people to do my military service (1999!)... if that idiot Chirac had made his decision to go with a fully professional army retroactive I wouldn't have had to go at all. Ah well-- but Joinville, Joinville--surely one of our millions of readers has some juicy stories about the footeux and their pseudo-military service? non? please! I don't think France Foot puts anything online (nor does l'Equipe, for that matter), unfortunately. The issue was a week or so old when I bought it in Seattle, where it is currently residing on my bed--and I am in Baltimore. So unfortunately I can't tell you much more about it or about the article... save that the TIG was near his hometown. And that they will get a little tougher--I think he has to go to a cite (naturally) and spend a couple of days with some refs. http://www.noticias.info/asp/aspComunicados.asp?nid=74030 says that he will have to do some beach foot thingie... that sounds tough. It's got the fulll list. Needless to say, I would've loved any of these when I was a bigors.
ok astroboy, now I understand what you are saying ... I am thick headed ... I thought you were saying Fab had to do some coaching for the goal keepers at Joinville as a TIG ... read and replied too fast. btw, I didn't remember how they were called (the army TIG) until I read your post.
That's exactly what happened to me--I read the article and had to laugh. I'd forgotten all about TIG... and now they're apparently part of the French sports "justice system" or whatever. And poor Fab is stuck with 10 of them!
"Maréchal-des-logis" is in use in the cavalry. Only those crawling shitkickers from infantry call their NCO "sergent". As usual, cavalry is one class beyond (Yes, i served my conscription time in cavalry). For TIG, nope. I served as a teacher, with an officer status, in the classy and utterly snobbish Cavalry School in Saumur. We used to let the low-grades do the dirty work, while we were sleeping in our classrooms (only us had the keys ). The food in Saumur's officer mess was very good too. I took 10 kgs in one year due to this intensive military action. As long as they give big dinners and a lot of sleeping time, I'm ready for future wars. PS: by the way, in Saumur, the TIG were called "servitudes". Did i say snobbish ?
hmmm ... reminds me of a tune ... Connaissez-vous Saumur Le bastion de l'ordure Le fief du bourgeois Mentalité de rat Connaissez-vous Saumur Et sa garnison Population mesquine Mentalité rupine [etc ... etc] good times ... good times. MDL is used in the infantry as well btw.
I was a shitkicker, for sure (1er RAMA, so more like a shitswimmer). I remember that at the end of boot camp one of my sergeants (sorry) asked me what I wanted to do--and before I could answer, he told me "No thinking jobs. There's no thinking around here." (I had a reputation as a thinker, I guess.) The food was definitely a highlight. I ate much much better in the military than I did while working at a prestigious university in England (I know, I know, English food... but still). I remember one couscous dinner as one of the finer meals I've ever had, as a matter of fact. Didn't get to foos much (not that I'm much of a player), however.
I didn't have to do my military service since I grew up in the states. Thank god for that. Plus I think my year was the last to have to do it anyways, born in '78.
I was born in '77 and I did not do it as well ! My brother did it and all that I remember is him borrowing my Super-NES in order to get some action during his service at the Air Force ministry...
I can't say that I loved my military service, far from it, but it was interesting. Certainly the last time I spent time side-by-side with people from essentially all social classes... Anyway, back to Joinville... Does anyone know if the players who went there were chosen, or could they just decide they were good enough? I would've loved to try that...