The Parc des Princes never forget. Tuesday evening, during the victory of the Blues against Iceland (2-1), a sequence crystallized the tensions between a player and his old audience. Adrien Rabiot, who entered twenty minutes from the end, was copiously whistled by Parisian supporters. A reaction that testifies to tenacious resentment, several years after the controversial departure of the capital's midfielder.
The anger of the Parisian public clearly aimed at the old Titi. Rabiot, now AC Milan player, still drags this reputation as a child from the club left by slamming the door. The scars of his stormy departure from PSG, marked by contractual tensions and shattering statements, obviously did not have time to close in the hearts of Parisian ultras.
A deschamps cash and protective
Didier Deschamps did not chew his words at the microphone of TF1.
“It's unacceptable”, decided the coach, visibly annoyed by what he considers a lack of respect for the institution. For DD, the rule is simple: a player who wears the blue jersey deserves support, regardless of his club past. “It's the French team, it is French, like all players”he hammered with his usual frankness.
History is repeated. Already in 1996, Reynald Pedros had undergone the same treatment in the park, under the eyes of a certain … Didier Deschamps, then captain of the Blues. An irony of fate which gives a particular resonance to the exit of the coach. This Parisian collective memory, sometimes cruel sometimes passionate, is part of the folklore of home rallies.
Will Rabiot have the last word?
Adrien Rabiot's response went through his crampons. A decisive tackle at the end of the match which momentarily silenced the whistles. Symbolic. The midfielder can now return serenely to Milan, where the welcome will certainly be warmer. But Deschamps' message is clear: as long as he is coach, none of his players will have to undergo this type of hostility in the French team. A firmly drawn red line.
