The announcement of the departure of Didier Deschamps from the France team in 2026, this Wednesday, is greeted with concern by Jérôme Rothen, his former player at Monaco, in the perspective of the next World Cup.
Jérôme Rothen does not really understand the reasons which pushed Didier Deschamps to announce his departure from the French team after the 2026 World Cup. Guest of Apolline Matin on RMC this Wednesday, the former Monaco midfielder (where he been trained by Deschamps) and PSG is even worried about the repercussions of this decision on the Blues' path to the next World Cup, if they qualify.
“When you know that the coach's contract ends at the end of the competition…”
“Frankly, I don’t really understand the timing,” he confides. “The Euro was not necessarily exceptional even if we made a half but in the game and in the image, things did not please the French. But announcing it a year and a half before the end of his contract , I don't see the point other than finding a little peace with the press and avoiding the recurring questions at each gathering: 'are you going to leave? Do the players always understand? your speech, do you still want to train ?' Knowing Didier Deschamps, if it's just to gain this media peace, he's really changed.”
“For me, this is not good news,” he adds. “Even if it is to focus a group for the qualifications for the 2026 World Cup. (…) To do a World Cup and to have experienced the atmosphere of a collective and to play for the win, everyone must is united. When you know that the coach's contract ends at the end of this competition, I'm not sure that's the best thing.”
The painful memory of Euro 2004
He experienced this scenario at Euro 2004, discussed with a coach, Jacques Santini, who announced his departure for Tottenham after the competition. “It’s complicated because the high level is about details, even more so to win this kind of competition,” he explains. “The details are also solidarity and a speech from the coach which must be followed by everyone. I felt (in 2004) players were demobilized, a little elsewhere because the speech went beyond their control. your head. You're not safe from having a bad surprise.”
For Jérôme Rothen, this announcement also opens the door to projections on the identity of his replacement and the hypothesis of finally seeing Zinédine Zidane on the Blues bench. “He (Deschamps) wants to have peace of mind and we are already planning to see whether Sir Zidane will sign in a year and a half, it’s incredible,” he points out. “This is very bad news. We wouldn’t even understand if Philippe Diallo, president of the FFF, does not already appoint someone.”
The host of the show Rothen gets excited on RMC still sees a benefit in the choice of Deschamps. “He has projects. What he has been doing for a year is not really going in the direction of the collective, he has given too many keys to Kylian Mbappé, we have to backpedal. This announcement will help him make strong decisions, to be radical.”
Nicolas Couet Journalist RMC Sport
