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Saint-Denis, France: Just two months before France began its World Cup title defense, the atmosphere around the team was in stark contrast to the celebrations following their victory over Croatia in the 2018 final.
A cloud hangs over head coach Didier Deschamps and his team as key players battle injuries and personal problems.
Meanwhile, the French Football Federation (FFF) is at an impasse over image rights with its biggest star, with its president facing allegations of misconduct.
All of this threatens to derail France’s campaign in Qatar.
More immediately, they head into their final game before the World Cup this week with their squad exhausted against Austria and Denmark in the UEFA Nations League.
Paul Pogba, the scorer in the 4-2 win over Croatia in 2018, was also one of the players missing.
The Juventus star has filed a lawsuit against Italian prosecutors, saying he was the target of a 13 million euro ($13 million) extortion plot as he struggles to recover from knee surgery.
Pogba’s brother Matthias is one of five people charged and detained in the case.
Paul Pogba reportedly told investigators he was actually kidnapped by childhood acquaintances and threatened by two balaclava-wearing men with assault rifles who accused him of not helping financially them.
The former Manchester United midfielder also said blackmailers wanted to discredit him, claiming he asked a witch doctor to cast a spell on another 2018 World Cup hero, Kylian Mbappe.
“That’s what he said against his brother. I’ll trust my team-mates,” Mbappe said recently of Pogba and those claims.
“I think it’s also in the national team’s interest because a big tournament is coming up.”
Mbappe himself has a series of conflicts with the FFF, which could damage the team’s morale.
Their party at Clayfontaine Castle, an hour’s drive from Paris, on Monday was overshadowed by Mbappe’s refusal to take part in the photo shoot because the FFF was reluctant to revise the agreement over the player’s image rights.
The Paris Saint-Germain star had previously boycotted a filming and the FA responded swiftly on Monday, promising to “revise the agreement as soon as possible”.
Mbappe’s representative insisted the matter “clearly does not call into question his full commitment and determination to contribute to the collective success of the national team.”
Meanwhile, the FFF’s 80-year-old president is on the line.
Noel Le Graet was summoned last week to meet the country’s sports minister, Amelie Oudea-Castera. The government then announced that it would launch an audit of the Commonwealth.
Earlier, So Foot magazine accused FFF of organisational problems, with some former employees claiming they had been treated inappropriately.
The federation has taken legal action against the magazine.
“It’s not the calmest atmosphere I’ve ever known,” Deschamps admitted. “But it’s not disturbing for me. My staff and I are focused on what’s going on on the pitch.”
Nonetheless, his side will be without Hugo Lloris, N’Golo Kante and Karim Benzema as well as Pogba in the upcoming games.
Only five players from the 2018 final were involved, including recalled veteran Olivier Giroud.
Among the other members of the 2018 squad, Benjamin Mendy is on trial in England for multiple alleged sex offences that could end his career.
Mendy last played for France in November 2019. Les Bleus dropped out of Switzerland in the last 16 of Euro 2020 but bounced back and won the Nations League last year.
The latter victory showcased the benefits of recalling Benzema – who was recently given a suspended sentence for complicity in blackmailing teammates.
The Real Madrid star is sidelined with a thigh injury, but the absence isn’t a bad thing, forcing Deschamps to join Willian Saliba, Aurelian Joaumeni, Eduardo Camavinga and Christopher Nguyen Kunku and other emerging stars played against each other.
No matter who turns up this week, France needs results.
They will be relegated from the Nations League group after losing to Austria on Thursday.
Even if they win, they may need three points against Denmark, one of their upcoming World Cup opponents.
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