Didier Deschamps saw his contract with the French team be renewed just after the World Cup in Qatar. But Noël Le Graët is no longer there, the Blues coach has lost his number 1 lawyer.
He has the best track record in French football, and probably one of the best in the world as a player and national coach, but that did not prevent Didier Deschamps from being the subject of strong criticism after the 2022 World Cup. Even if France had reached the final against Argentina, and came close to the title, certain journalists and consultants did not hesitate to attack DD, believing that it was time for him to give up his place to Zinedine Zidane. But in the middle of the debate, the executive committee made it official on January 11, 2023 that the coach was extended until 2026 at the head of the France team. An announcement then confirmed despite the departure of Noël Le Graët from the presidency of the FFF in the conditions we know. But according to L’Equipe, nothing says that if the Blues crash at the next Euro in Germany, the future of Didier Deschamps will not be called into question.
Our colleague Vincent Duluc concedes, the shattering end of the Le Graët era marked a turning point, because the latter was a fierce defender of Didier Deschamps. And if Philippe Diallo, his successor as president of the French Football Federation, appreciates the coach of the French team, he is far from having the same affinities with the latter. Another key figure within the FFF, Jean-Michel Aulas, who was not in favor last year of DD’s contract being renewed until 2026, but only 2024 reveals the journalist from the sports daily. So obviously, the situation could become tense if Kylian Mbappé and his teammates fail in a Euro which had not been a success in 2021, France being eliminated in the round of 16 by Switzerland. The little music of a possible revolution is still rising.
Deschamps lost his lawyer at the FFF
The journalist from L’Equipe is therefore cautious when discussing the French future of Didier Deschamps. “ With Le Graët, he formed a duo, and when deciding on his renewal until 2026, early 2023, the Breton had passed above the committee. This decor has changed. If the Euro went very badly this summer, it is likely that Diallo and the other major leaders of the FFF would protect him less naturally from arrows. Noël Le Graët took blows for himself, like on the Benzema affair, or by expressing clumsily about the Zidane threat. The committee would not necessarily be unanimous, and Jean-Michel Aulas, for example, who had largely participated in dismissing Corinne Diacre last year, would have preferred that the contract of the coach of the 2018 world champions was only renewed until 2024 », points out Vincent Duluc. Probably nothing to worry about Didier Deschamps who knows that he has a very good image among the general public and enjoys tremendous popularity in France.