French team: Philippe Diallo’s lunar outburst on Didier Deschamps and his future

The end of the road for the Blues who will not play the Euro 2024 final. Indeed, on Tuesday evening, France crossed swords against Spain, on the pitch of the Allianz Arena in Munich for a ticket to the grand final at stake. But despite the opening goal by Randal Kolo Muani, the Blues were quickly caught up and then dominated by a superior Roja, much more efficient and collective. Beyond the result and the elimination, the French Team leaves Germany with a generally disappointing record between an absent collective, a Didier Deschamps too often lost in his decisions and above all unrecognizable executives on the verge of drowning. The day after this setback, Philippe Diallo, president of the French Football Federation (FFF), gave us a very surprising media release, not to say scandalous given the current situation.

Before discussing the touchy subjects, Philippe Diallo analyzed the competition of the Blues in a very strange way with our colleagues at The Team : “The overall result is positive in that the objective set for the semi-final was achieved. We should never trivialize such a result. Reaching the last four is the demonstration of a high-level performance that shows that the French team remains competitive and in the elite of the great football nations. The French team has shown qualities of solidity and solidarity. During all these weeks, I felt a great unity. Both between the players and between the players, Didier and the staff. There were no clouds in the relations between each other“. A completely out-of-touch lunar outing. The Federation seems to be sinking a little deeper into denial, at a time when the majority of French journalists and supporters have felt a break in the group. And it’s far from over.

The FFF will discuss with Deschamps but…

Asked the day after the Blues were eliminated in the semi-finals of the Euro, Philippe Diallo made a big announcement regarding the future of the Blues coach: “He does indeed have a contract and has fulfilled the sporting objective that was given to him. And when we look at his career at the head of the French team, it is exceptional. Didier led this team in the best possible way during this Euro. I see no reason to question his contract. The results of the past speak for him and the objectives have been achieved. Didier will continue his mission. We will discuss together in the coming days to analyze in more depth what we lacked during this semi-final and which would have allowed us to go higher. During this month, I have seen a lot of professionalism, a search for excellence. We must keep the French team in this direction.“, explained the president of the federation. No change on the horizon therefore but a meeting will nevertheless be organized in the coming days to discuss the future.

Since taking over from Noel Le Graet, the now boss of French football has never imagined getting rid of Didier Deschamps, who will therefore continue until the end of the 2026 World Cup, the date of the expiration of the French coach’s lease: “I arrived at the presidency with a contractual situation that you know. It is up to me to respect it. All the more so when the results are there. It must be remembered that in December 2022, we were in the World Cup final. In July 2024, we are in the semi-finals of the Euro. Many nations envy our results. Even if today, there may be frustration at not having gone all the way, we must take the necessary step back to see that the performances of the French team remain exceptional.“, repeated Mr Diallo. Despite the failure in this Euro, the FFF opts for a status quo and Zinédine Zidane will have to wait a little longer…