Kylian Mbappé’s package for the trip to Azerbaijan had already caused a lot of ink to flow. Between the official justification of an inflamed ankle and the suspicions of
“diplomatic wound”, the debate over possible preferential treatment agitated French football. But the matter has just taken on a whole new dimension. Images of the captain of the Blues in Dubai, while his teammates prepared for their match, made a former international explode. His media outing is incredibly violent, an indictment which directly targets the player, but also his coach.
“Me, Mbappé shocks me and I accept it”
The one who lit the fuse is none other than Jérôme Rothen. On his show on RMC, the consultant did not hold back his blows, delivering a charge of rare brutality. “It shocks me and I accept it“, he insisted, before directly attacking the status of the player: “I blame the captain of a selection.” For the former Parisian, this trip to Dubai is a “ lack of respect »
total towards Didier Deschamps, the France group and the jersey. “He allows himself not to go to Azerbaijan because it bothers him,” he lambasted, even accusing Mbappé of having already “made up a sprain” to skip a trip to Iceland in the past.
The criticism goes well beyond the simple package. Rothen attacks the attitude, what he perceives as a form of arrogance on the part of a “new generation”. He even jokes about Mbappé’s performance against Ukraine, calling the opponents “plots”. The charge is total, without concession, and aims to shatter the image of a player who has become untouchable. “But it’s Mbappé, you shouldn’t say anything! »he protested.
A privilege that no longer passes?
This explosive release highlights a simmering malaise. The management of the Mbappé case questions. If Didier Deschamps justified his choice by precaution, explaining that he did not “no risk to take“, and that voices like that of Bixente Lizarazu defended a “intelligent management”, the departure for Dubai changes the perception of the affair. What could pass for a protective measure now looks, to its detractors, like an unacceptable privilege for a captain who must be exemplary.
The question asked by Rothen is direct and it is aimed at the coach: “How can Deschamps let this happen? “.
It is no longer just Mbappé who is in the sights, but the very authority of the boss of the Blues. This controversy, fueled by images which contradict the official discourse of “care”, risks leaving traces. It raises the question of balance within the France group and the status, perhaps disproportionate, granted to its biggest star. The backfire is violent, and the fire is far from being extinguished.
