The 24 teams qualified for Euro-2024 will be authorized to draw up lists of between 23 and 26 players. They can all be entered on the match sheet. Asked a few weeks ago about the possible implementation of this new rule, Didier Deschamps assured that he would adapt.
The UEFA Executive Committee has authorized the 24 teams qualified for Euro-2024 to draw up lists of between 23 and 26 players, we learned on Friday from a source close to the matter. All players will be able to be registered on the match sheet, unlike Euro-2021, the first international competition with expanded lists due to the Covid-19 pandemic, during which three of the 26 players called up had to remain in the stands, indicated the same source.
This decision follows the recommendation of the UEFA competitions committee, chaired by the head of the French Football Federation Philippe Diallo.
Didier Deschamps ready to “adapt”
Questioned by AFP before the decision of the European Confederation, the coach of the France team Didier Deschamps weighed the pros and cons of such a measure, while indicating that he would adapt to it. “If I take 26 players, it is because I will consider that it is useful for the French team. Adapting is my key word. I will therefore adapt to the decisions taken and to “other parameters. I am not anti 24, 25 or 26 players”, explained the technician.
“Statistics show that on average, in a major competition, four players do not play at all and two or three play ten minutes, maximum. This is an average across all national teams, not just France. Jump to 26 just to fill in boxes doesn’t interest me, I’m not going to be smart and take 23 players and then find myself in difficulty because I won’t have taken enough,” Deschamps added.