Once criticized for their look when joining the French team gathering in Clairefontaine, several French players reacted to the attacks on Wednesday. In the show hosted by Aurélien Tchouaméni, the duo composed of Ousmane Dembélé and Jules Koundé expressed their feelings on this issue.
Aurélien Tchouaméni and Ousmane Dembélé have withdrawn from the French team's matches against Israel and Italy in the Nations League. Injured, the two captains of the selection took the opportunity to participate in the show The Bridge co-hosted by the Madrid community. The opportunity to react to the criticisms of certain consultants on the looks of the Blues at Clairefontaine. All in the company of Jules Koundé.
“We saw a controversy last time in the selection concerning the fact that we, the players of the French team, are starting to go a little overboard with the outfits we wear,” said Aurélien Tchouaméni to launch the debate with his teammates at the Blues.
“People are looking forward to it.”
But the subject, approached with a smile, does not really seem to bother the French players despite past criticism.
“Not me,” Ousmane Dembélé was quick to cut in with a smile. Before seeing Jules Koundé tackle this issue. The defender of Barça and the Blues, at the heart of this clothing question.
“I know that now people are impatiently waiting to know how I will arrive,” reacted the French right-back, a vintage Sochaux jersey on his back. “They're waiting to know what style, if I'm going to be eccentric or not.”
Dembélé dissociates himself (and kindly rooms)
Often quite sober in his clothing choices when he arrived at Clairefontaine, Ousmane Dembélé still allowed himself a little joke aimed at his partners in the France team. As if to say that they were perhaps a bit too overdone.
“Did you see how it went at the last selection,” asked the PSG winger. “Someone came in a mask.
Before pointing out Jules Koundé in the wake of this allusion to Ibrahima Konaté's daring (and assumed) look in October: “That's you!”
Koundé defends his choices and regrets “a lack of open-mindedness”
Considered somewhat as the spearhead of this clothing revolution among the Blues, and since become the face of the Jacquemus brand, Jules Koundé then returned to the criticisms of Jean-Michel Larqué and Jérôme Rothen on the look of French players. If Ousmane Dembélé felt that these remarks no longer affected them, the defender justified his reaction on social networks.
“I think there are ways of doing things,” noted the Blaugrana full-back. Often, very often in the media, it's done in a disrespectful way. I think everyone comes as they feel. It's just a lack of open-mindedness. From time to time it's good to respond to make your point of view heard. Then you agree or you disagree.”
Putting his words into action, and challenged to show up with a French team tracksuit, Jules Koundé finally arrived at Clairefontaine on Monday with a retro jacket from the selection. A look praised by Jérôme Rothen who also congratulated the French side for his refreshing self-deprecation on this subject and which helped to extinguish a possible controversy.
Jean-Guy Lebreton Journalist RMC Sport
