Under the spotlight, the president of the French Football Federation Philippe Diallo delivered his reaction after the announcement of the departure of Didier Deschamps at the end of the 2026 World Cup. Just re-elected for four years, the native of Saint-Nazaire paid a vibrant tribute to its coach to Le Figaro.
“I especially thought of him, because he devoted, or has devoted for more than ten years, his existence to making the French team shine in the highest competitions. It’s a personal, human, very important moment, he was moved. It is first of all a personal decision to make it public. And then I find that doing it in these circumstances, at this moment, is both responsible and very elegant on his part. »
“He is still as motivated and ready to fly the colors of the France team. But he perhaps felt that in 2026, he will have spent more than ten years at the head of the Blues, which is in itself quite exceptional, and that it was time to move on. he explained to the daily L’Équipe.
The main person concerned explained his choice in an interview given to TF1, scheduled to be broadcast this Wednesday at 1 p.m. The Blues coach admitted to having “never wanted it to stop”, but that he had to “know how to say stop”.
Zidane next coach? Diallo responds
Questioned by the sports daily about his successor at the head of the Blues, and in particular the obvious candidacy of Zinédine Zidane, Philippe Diallo remained silent on the question and indicated that he “would not enter into this debate”. “Didier has two years of contract and, out of respect for him, his staff and the players, the question of his succession does not arise today,” he explained.
The president of the parent body of French football did not hesitate to be rave about the former Real Madrid coach. “It is one of the monuments of French football and world football. It was he who contributed to this first star on our jersey, he recalled. I have a lot of respect and admiration for one of the greatest players in the history of football. »
