Arelying on a guaranteed qualification for the round of 16 of the Euro even before playing the last group match, on June 24, Didier Deschamps had this sentence: “If people don't like what they see, they change the channel. » The coach responded to a question about the Blues' supposedly overly defensive play. He didn't think he was saying that well. Firstly because the meeting which followed, against Poland (1-1), turned out to be among the most soporific of the entire competition. Then because since this summer, the French team's TV audiences have been in sharp decline.
Compared to the previous gatherings in September, October and November, the decline is quite clear, despite posters that are just as attractive on paper. Today, the French Israel on Thursday in the Nations League (4.9). Unthinkable just a few years ago. The Dupont generation, the 2022 Grand Slam and the World Cup in France have been there.
Where are the charismatic stars?
Selection is not the only one affected by this phenomenon. The very low number of subscribers (500,000) to DAZN for Ligue 1 is a strong marker. Almost no one knows the new Mag Ligue 1 on France 3, Téléfoot and Canal Football Club have long lost their splendor. Even the Champions League attracts less than last season on the encrypted channel. By dint of multiplying competitions, broadcasters and subscriptions, the viewer is – at the choice – lost, selective in his budget, overdosed on this profusion of football or simply resistant to the idea of being considered as a cow for milk.
While Ligue 1 stadiums have never been so full, those of the Blues are less full than before, while still showing good occupancy rates. Last June, several hundred places did not find takers for France – Canada at Matmut Atlantique. However, the French team had not come to Bordeaux for almost ten years and was preparing to compete in the Euro. Thursday, the Stade de France recorded the worst attendance in its history with the Blues (16,611 spectators). If the security context obviously weighed heavily in this sad observation, there are deeper causes.
The international retirements of Hugo Lloris, Raphaël Varane, Antoine Griezmann and Olivier Giroud, the leaders of Russia's 2018 campaign, have not been offset by the emergence of players who are both charismatic and talented. There are no more real stars in this selection, apart from Kylian Mbappé, whose popularity is eroding through questionable performances and confusing communication. The captain skipped the October assembly and was excused from the November assembly. We've had a more lively headliner.
Twelve years of Deschamps
On the bench, it's simple, since the change is non-existent. The French team has been guided by the same man, Didier Deschamps, for more than twelve years. Despite the very good results when it counts (finalist at the 2022 World Cup, semi-finalist at Euro 2024), we must consider both the wear and tear and the feeling of confiscation linked to this four-year contract signed on the sly. Meanwhile, the shadow of Zinédine Zidane, one of the greatest players in history and triumphant coach at Real Madrid, still looms, like the hope of a revival.
Deschamps is the best coach in the history of the Blues, but if his team will always attract a large audience in the summers of even years, the sad game it produces is a repellent for true football fans. The Basque has always elevated the result above the rest. The problem is that he hasn't won anything since the 2018 World Cup (who remembers the 2021 Nations League?) and there isn't much left of the five other major competitions he took part in, apart from a stunning semi-final against Germany in 2016 and a final made legendary by Mbappé six years later.
How distant it seems, this 2026 World Cup in North America. But football is not just a long-term affair. Without doubt, a resounding victory over Italy would be enough, this Sunday evening, in the legendary San Siro, to sweep away the weariness and rekindle the flame. Chick?
