After Star revolt against Diacre
France throws out controversial national coach
3/9/2023 1:52 p.m
The French national soccer team needs a new head coach. Corinne Diacre, who has come under increasing criticism, is fired four and a half months before the World Cup after a player revolt and “irreversible” problems with the team.
After the revolt of her players, the highly controversial French national soccer coach Corinne Diacre was fired four and a half months before the start of the World Cup. This was announced by the French Football Association FFF. The 48-year-old’s contract originally ran until the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
The FFF recognizes the commitment and seriousness of Diacre and her staff in carrying out their task. The problems within the team have become “irreversible”, the association said in a statement. Therefore, the decision was made “to end Corinne Diacre’s work at the head of the French women’s team”.
Former international Diacre has been the national coach at Les Bleues since 2017. However, she came under increasing pressure after several top players announced that she would not be available for the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand (20 July to 20 August) because of her management style. In this context, the FFF stated on Thursday that the way in which the players expressed their criticism was no longer acceptable in the future. The intention is to create an additional post between the Executive Committee and the coach in the management of the women’s national team.
Diacre herself had emphasized on Wednesday that she did not want to vacate her post under any circumstances. She was the victim of a “degrading” media campaign, she told the AFP news agency.