Midfielder Amandine Henry (93 caps), recalled by France coach Hervé Renard after more than two years of absence, is out of the World Cup (July 20-August 20) due to a heart injury. calf, announced his Federation on Friday.
The former captain of the Blue, injured Wednesday in training, is replaced by Aïssatou Tounkara in the group which will leave for Australia on Saturday, two weeks before the first match in the tournament against Jamaica, July 23 in Sydney.
This is a new big disappointment for the 33-year-old player, long kept away by former coach Corinne Deacon, and who had been recalled in extremis by Hervé Renard for the competition in Oceania.
Sharp pain in training
Since the start of the rally on June 20 in Clairefontaine (Yvelines), the management of the France team had spared the defensive midfielder, weaned from competition since the beginning of March due to a knee injury, first, then from sick leave taken “for personal reasons”.
The new player from Angel City (United States), a former OL figure with seven Champions League titles, felt quite severe pain during training on Wednesday in Dublin, which forced her to package against Ireland (3-0), Thursday.
“It will be difficult now, we will say that it was the worst time for it to happen”, commented Hervé Renard, pessimistic, after the match. There will be medical examinations, “but normally we know what to expect, it will be unavailable, it will have to be replaced”he continued.
The coach, eager to “keep the group intact” according to the formula used on Thursday, chose to replace her numerically with central defender Aïssatou Tounkara (28 years old, 39 caps), who became a reserve on Tuesday after the group was tightened from 26 to 23 players. He therefore does not make a change position for position.
The official list must be sent to Fifa on July 10 at the latest, but the French Federation can replace a player, in the event of a forfeit, until Saturday July 22, i.e. 24 hours before the start of the match against Jamaica in Global.