FFF president says ‘nothing is above the France national team’ amid Kylian Mbappé controversy

Kylian Mbappé’s (25) absence from Didier Deschamps’ most recent France squad certainly raised a few eyebrows. The France captain has only just recovered from an injury and was only fit enough to come off the bench as Real Madrid lost 1-0 to Lille OSC in the UEFA Champions League in midweek.

In the wake of that cameo, Deschamps announced his squad, with an important omission – Mbappé. Deschamps said that the decision was taken in conjunction with the former Paris Saint-Germain forward and his club, Real Madrid. However, he added that he does not doubt his captain’s “commitment” to Les Bleus. 

Whilst he doesn’t doubt his commitment, others have. Mbappé has been heavily criticised in the national media and also by the main France supporters group, Irresistibles Français, who said that the nature of his omission was “not normal, as a captain”. 

Deschamps did not add fuel to the fire, stating that he understood the stance taken by Mbappé’s club Real Madrid. This stance has also been echoed president of the FFF, Philippe Diallo, who also sympathised with the decision taken by Los Blancos. 

“There is nothing above the France national team and the national set-ups,” began Diallo in an interview with France Info. “Didier spoke with Mbappé directly and with the medical staff at Real Madrid and chose not to select him but it doesn’t call into question Kylian’s attachment to the national team.”

He added, “The question that is being asked today is, with a hectic calendar, with multiple competitions, players are in a rhythm where they’re playing 65 matches per year. We are arriving at a kind of ceiling where it becomes necessary for clubs, national teams, and authorities to sit around a table, notably with the objective of preserving national teams and finding a balance.” 

GFFN | Luke Entwistle