Cyril de la Morinerie, edited by Thibault Nadal
Cases of sexual assault, Pogba case, showdown between Kylian Mbappé and the FFF … For this last post-World Cup rally, the atmosphere around the Blues is far from good. But this Monday, for their reunion at Clairefontaine, Didier Deschamps and the players did their best to spread a positive image to appease the climate.
French football in turmoil. This Monday evening, a new event came to upset the daily life of the Blues. Kylian Mbappé has obtained a revision of the image rights agreement. But two months before the World Cup, between the cases of harassment and sexual assault, the Paul Pogba affair or the multiple injuries, the climate is heavy around the French football team.
Mbappé makes the Federation give in on the question of image rights
But when they met Monday at Clairefontaine, the players were smiling. We even saw Didier Deschamps joking with a few executives like Benjamin Pavard or Raphaël Varane. According to a source close to the players, the atmosphere would be excellent.
An atmosphere that calmed down after the decision of the Federation to revise the charter concerning image rights and to bow to the demands of Kylian Mbappé. At the start of the day, the star of the Blues and PSG had refused to participate in a photo shoot, because he no longer wanted to be associated with companies that do not represent his values.
Ten injured
If this extra-sporting affair helps to lighten the climate, a real headache is looming for Didier Deschamps: more than a dozen players are forfeited, including several executives, such as Benzema, Coman, Lucas Hernandez, Kanté or Pogba. To these initial packages were added those of captain Hugo Lloris and Théo Hernandez. They were replaced by Alban Lafont and Lucas Digne.
A situation far from ideal for this last post-World Cup rally.