Once the French team’s qualification for the 2026 World Cup was validated after the success against Ukraine (4-0) on November 13, observers suspected that Didier Deschamps would make a big turnover for the last qualifying match in Azerbaijan. With the match no longer having any stakes, the national coach had a good reason to let several players breathe. The day after the victory at the Parc des Princes, the FFF announced the logical departures of Manu Koné (suspended) and Eduardo Camavinga (injured). However, the federation reserved a little surprise in its press release by announcing that Kylian Mbappé had pain in his ankle again and that he was returning to Madrid to examine it.
Diallo defends Mbappé
“The internationals Manu Koné, Eduardo Camavinga and Kylian Mbappé are made available to their club. The French team delegation is flying to Baku where they will face Azerbaijan on Sunday at 9 p.m. local time, 6 p.m. French. Eduardo Camavinga, Manu Koné and Kylian Mbappé will not make the trip. Manu Koné received a yellow card against Ukraine and is suspended. Eduardo Camavinga was hampered by a muscle strain in his left ischio. Kylian Mbappé still suffers from inflammation in his right ankle which requires examinations. He will perform them today in Madrid”. Since then, things have not gone as planned.
Less than an hour after the FFF press release, the Spanish media assured that Mbappé had nothing serious and that he would start next weekend against Elche. Others claimed that Real Madrid were not even going to give him medical exams. A succession of infirmations which gave weight to the thesis of a diplomatic injury. A version then reinforced by the confirmed presence of the player in Dubai a few hours after his departure from the Blues gathering. Enough to trigger a controversy in France. Does Mbappé really respect his role as captain of the Blues? Should he have accompanied the French team to Azerbaijan even knowing that he would not play? Why did you avoid this long trip to Asia to take an equally long flight to Dubai? All these questions fueled the controversy.
“He is the subject of a form of harassment in his private life”
This afternoon, the president of the FFF, Philippe Diallo, took the floor to give his version of the facts in the columns of The Team. The manager first confirmed that the Blues medical staff had indeed noted a problem with the Bondynois’ ankle, but that the course of events no longer depended on the federation. “The French team doctors noted that there was inflammation in his ankle. (…) Afterwards, it is up to Real Madrid to carry out additional examinations and check with him. This is no longer a question that concerns the French team”he told the newspaper, before adding that this affair was a “non-subject”and to publicly express all his support for the captain of the Blues, even going so far as to denounce harassment of the Real Madrid player’s private life.
“I would like to say all my support for Kylian Mbappé, because today, and this is not the first time that this has happened, he is the subject of a form of harassment of his private life which is still incredible. (…) I saw that some people took photos of his tags on his luggage… Can we give him a little freedom and an ability to have a little oxygen in his life which is still extremely dense, hoping that he will be at his best when we need him, that is to say for the World Cup? Nobody is above the France team. The French team is above everything. » The message has gotten through!
