Noël Le Graët had to apologize for the comments he made towards the former Real Madrid coach once the renewal of Didier Deschamps at the French bank was completed.
After France’s defeat in the World Cup final against Argentina on penalties, Didier Deschamps questioned his continuity at the head of the France team. Although one of his clauses stipulated his automatic renewal if he reached an established league stage, the manager wanted to extend it until the 2026 World Cup.
So, in the midst of these negotiations, Zinedine Zidane’s name emerged as an alternative in case Deshamps made the decision to leave office and focus on other projects. SHowever, a few days ago The French football federation has confirmed that DT will continue on the bench .
After that, the president of the FFF, Noël Le Graët, categorically ruled out that Zizou was in the project to take the reins of the Blues, ignoring the ex-volante.
In his words, the former Real Madrid “It was always under the radar, there’s no tales to tell ”. He added that “he has a lot of followers. Some expected Deschamps to leave, but who can seriously criticize Deschamps? No one”.
Of course, it went further. “Of course, Zidane didn’t contact me. I wouldn’t even pick up the phone anyway ”.
Faced with these statements, criticism began to pour in, in particular that of Kylian Mbappé who forced the manager to apologize for his remarks. “These awkward comments created a misunderstanding. I would like to personally apologize for these remarks which in no way reflect my thoughts, nor my consideration for the player he was and the coach he has become. “said Le Graët in a press release sent to the AFP agency.
transversal support
After the words of the president of French football, various personalities and institutions came forward to support Zinedine Zidane. One of the first to react was Kylian Mbappé. The 2018 world champion wrote on Twitter. “Zidane is France. Don’t disrespect the legend ”.
In turn, the Minister of Sports, Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, also used digital platforms to express that “these statements are a disgraceful disrespect they offend us all and a legend of football and sport ”.
“A ‘president’ of a sports federation should not say that. Apologize for this excess of words on Zinedine Zidane”, he added.
For their part, Real Madrid issued a statement defending their former player and coach. “Real Madrid CF regrets the unfortunate statements of the President of the French Football Federation, Nöel Le Graët, about Zinedine Zidane, one of the greatest legends in world sport ”.
They also consider the manager’s remarks to be ‘disrespectful to one of the most admired personalities by football fans around the world and our club expects immediate redress’. Zinedine Zidane, world champion and European champion defending his country’s shirt, among many other titles, represents the values of sport and has shown it throughout his professional career as a player and coach.”
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Source: Latercera
I’m Scott Moore, a professional writer and journalist based in the US. I’ve been writing for various publications for over 8 years now, and have been working as an author at athletistic for the past five years. My work has been featured by some of the leading sports websites and magazines across Europe.
