A few hours before the round of 16 of Euro 2024 between France and Belgium, the future of Didier Deschamps is not a taboo subject, even if the national coach has a contract until 2026.
While sports news has taken a back seat in our country, the fact remains that this Monday, millions of us will be watching television to watch the match between Les Bleus and Les Diables Rouges. Because this time, there will only be one country qualified for the quarter-finals at the end of the match, and neither team can hide like in the first round. Three years after the fiasco against Switzerland, and two years after the defeat in the World Cup final against Argentina, Didier Deschamps knows that a failure against Belgium could revive the enormous criticism he had been subjected to after the two previous tournaments. And even if Noël Le Graët had decided to extend his contract until the 2026 World Cup, things have changed at the French Football Federation. His future is now threatened in the event of an early elimination of the French team in this Euro, as Vincent Duluc confides in The team.
Deschamps will not have a joker in the event of elimination
Everyone is aware that France has incredible talent, and failing to go all the way in this Euro 2024, or at least to the final, would be hard to live with for everyone, especially for Philippe Diallo, Noël Le Graët’s successor as head of the FFF, who is aware that his predecessor’s ultra-rapid decision just before leaving the Federation was not unanimous. So, even if Didier Deschamps has a contract for another two years, everything could change quickly while Diallo will be aiming for re-election to this post of president. The coach, like all his colleagues, is confronted both with his record and with weariness in the eyes of others, who regret the confiscation of a team that other coaches, like Zinedine Zidane, would be delighted to lead (… ) If he reaches the last four, Deschamps will have peace until 2026. In the quarter-finals, the debate will be open, but it will be less tense. In the event of elimination this evening, on the other hand, his presence at the 2026 World Cup will be called into question. Nothing new: it’s the job that wants that “, points out our colleague from L’Equipe.
In other words, this round of 16 between France and Belgium, an opponent that Didier Deschamps has always made suffer, will have a decisive importance on the future of the national coach in his position. Kylian Mbappé and his teammates know it, if they want to extend the adventure with the man who has the most incredible track record in the history of French football, they will not have to miss out. Otherwise, the French team could experience a huge earthquake.
