Nearly a year later, Deschamps faced questions from the commission regarding the disruptions within sports federations and, in particular, his management of the Karim Benzema case during the 2022 World Cup.

To recap, Karim Benzema had to withdraw from the competition just three days before the French national team’s debut in the tournament. However, he had returned to training in mid-December, leading to various speculations about his departure from the squad.

Several months later, in March 2023, Benzema responded sharply to Deschamps, who had revisited his withdrawal. “But what audacity,” the former Lyon striker had reacted on his social media platforms, clearly unimpressed by the French national team manager’s explanation.

“I have no need to invent stories,” Deschamps emphasised during his testimony before the National Assembly’s commission of inquiry. “My choices are based on sporting decisions. I’m willing to delve into the details, but I’m not sure if this is the place to revisit the events that took place in Doha during the World Cup. I have spoken about it, and you have quoted some of my statements. Yes, in every situation, there is only one truth, but there are multiple versions. I won’t provide you with additional information to confirm that what I said is the truth. But it’s factual.”

He continued, “I said what happened. The situation unfolded exactly as I described it. If you want more details, I can provide you with text message exchanges. However, I don’t believe it will advance matters. For your information, if you are unaware, I am currently involved in legal proceedings against a journalist who dared to make certain claims. The legal process is underway, and the verdict will be rendered by the justice system. I have no need to invent stories. Whom will you believe between what you read or hear and what actually occurred? I’m not here to entertain. I’m stating what happened. With an ongoing legal procedure, I cannot provide detailed information.”

GFFN | George Boxall

In an exclusive interview with Get French Football News, former France defender Marcel Desailly has said that he doesn’t believe Arsenal defender William Saliba’s “individual qualities to be above average” and added that he believes he needs to “acclimatise” to assimilate into France’s backline. 

After a loan spell at Olympique de Marseille, Saliba broke into the Arsenal first-team last season. Not only did he immediately cement his place in an Arsenal side that went on to finish second in the Premier League, but he was also included in the Premier League Team of the Season. 

However, Desailly, who played 116 times for Les Bleus between 1993 and 2004, believes that Saliba has to do more to displace the current duo of Dayot Upamecano and Ibrahima Konaté.

“Upamecano, and Konaté – their association is fabulous. And more than that – I think that, individually, they maybe have a level above what we saw with Varane and Umtiti. But before they can express their individuality at a very high level, their association needs to be good,” Desailly told GFFN.

He added, “Then there is the one at Arsenal too (William Saliba) – he hasn’t yet had the game time to adapt to that necessary association. I don’t believe his individual qualities to be above average. He’s at a very, very high level but not extraordinary. So before absorbing the international level, he needs to acclimatise to those associations. As things stand I don’t know how to associate him with Konate or with Upamecano so that he can excel and develop all the talent that he has in him.”

GFFN | Jeremy Smith, Luke Entwistle

Martinez mocked Mbappé in the wake of Argentina’s World Cup final victory. The Paris Saint-Germain forward netted past Aston Villa goalkeeper Martinez on four occasions during the final (including once in the penalty shoot-out). Post-match, Martinez called for a minute’s silence for the now-France captain before immediately breaking that silence and leading the chants in the dressing room. He then posed with a doll of the Frenchman during the trophy celebrations back in Argentina. 

Martinez made an apology of sorts in February, stating that he “didn’t want to hurt anyone” and that it was just “a joke” with his teammates that should “never have left the dressing room.” 

However, the Yashin Trophy winner spoke much more highly of Mbappé in Paris. The PSG forward came third in this year’s edition of the Ballon d’Or, behind Erling Haaland and winner Lionel Messi, however, Martinez has backed Mbappé to win the prestigious prize “lots” of times in the coming years.

“It isn’t because of nothing that he is considered one of the best in the world. I have a lot of respect for him as a player and as a person. Kylian is an example to follow. He is phenomenal. Winning a World Cup, and scoring a hat-trick in the final in the following edition, all the French people should be proud of a player like him. When Leo (Messi) and (Cristiano) Ronaldo retire, Kylian will follow the same path as them. He will win a lot of Ballon d’Or,” said Martinez. 

GFFN | Luke Entwistle

As one of France’s greatest central defenders, what do you think of Les Bleus’ current crop of centre-backs?

I think that France have great individuals on the defensive side. But it’s more linked to associations than individuality. We had the Umtiti-Varane pairing, which was fabulous.

Like you and Laurent Blanc!

Yes. The difference is that– through our clubs, over the 15 years I was in the France team – we were able to retain our level and to keep our places as indisputable starters in big clubs. And that association enabled France to benefit from a fabulous central defence. But now the page has turned. Umtiti and Varane – world champions – that’s brilliant – but it seems like they weren’t able to retain that intensity. And that’s surely one of the reasons why we are now seeing a new generation coming through. In Umtiti’s case, it wasn’t by choice, while Varane chose to take his international retirement because he saw that he no longer had the capacity to maintain his level, whether with his club or internationally. So he had to make a choice.

Now, Upamecano, and Konate – their association is fabulous. And more than that – I think that, individually, they maybe have a level above what we saw with Varane and Umtiti. But before they can express their individuality at a very high level, their association needs to be good.

Then there is the one at Arsenal too (William Saliba) – he hasn’t yet had the game time to adapt to that necessary association. I don’t believe his individual qualities to be above average. He’s at a very, very high level but not extraordinary. So before absorbing the international level, he needs to acclimatise to those associations. As things stand I don’t know how to associate him with Konate or with Upamecano so that he can excel and develop all the talent that he has in him.

Do you have an explanation as to why France struggles to find top fullbacks – to the extent that Deschamps often plays centre-backs as fullbacks?

He has a defence of four and [at right back] he had the choice between Pavard and Kounde. Kounde, without being exceptional, at least on the defensive side there is some quality. In terms of going forward, he’s not as good as Pavard. But we have four candidates for two places on each side and yes, compared to the potential of the centre-backs, there is a bit of a dip in quality when it comes to the full-backs – even if the Hernandez brothers show stability for their club and for France, guaranteeing tactical intelligence, in terms of going forward and dropping back into the defensive block. We do, however, have players of a very high level, otherwise, France wouldn’t have reached the World Cup final, albeit protected by a midfield which is dense, powerful and strong, which controls the ball and has a tactical intelligence within the team which compensates the fact that the full-backs don’t push up.

But on the left, when it’s Hernandez with Mbappe, it’s hard to take the baton from Mbappe – you can give him an option but it’s not you who is going to make the difference. Mbappe will use the option that you give him in order to make the difference. The same on the right – Griezmann’s tactical intelligence doesn’t give the option for Pavard or Kounde to express themselves – he stays wide or he takes the ball and cuts inside to create chances – so today we have fullbacks who are maybe just a little below the top, but who adapt to the philosophy and the need of this France team.

Two of the young centre-backs, Disasi and Badiashile, are at your former club Chelsea. The London club are struggling a little despite spending a billion pounds. How do you see the club right now?

It’s strange because you can’t criticise people who have succeeded professionally and who have decided to invest – they have consulted the board, they have had dozens of meetings for each player whom they bring in, to adapt them to the philosophy, to the future needs of the club in relation to the player’s potential. So it’s very hard to criticize. The only thing that I’d say though is that it is an error of communication. They are carried away by the potential that each player that they’ve bought has, because they’ve forgotten about one element, knowing that to play football at the highest level, to attain what we call in French “la culture de la gagne” – the winning mentality – you need experience – nascent talent is never enough to presume immediate performance. And that’s the only thing where I’d say they’ve made a mistake, where they keep thinking, with the coach Pochettino, “No, this year we’ll be title challengers with the team that we have”.

Right from the start of the season, you could see that they can’t be title challengers – it was obvious. But they have put together players of great potential and have positioned themselves in terms of “business” – because if they didn’t buy the players now for a little above value, they wouldn’t have been able to buy them later. So the only thing is they need to know how to educate the supporters by telling them “Hang on – we’re going to have a year or two of transition but after that – wow – we’ve built up enormous potential”.

But the fans and the media don’t want to hear that – they’ve seen the investment, they want immediate results. But that’s what I think of Chelsea’s idea – Pochettino isn’t a coach who has built up his philosophy like a Mourinho, a Tuchel – he’s a coach who needs to coach top players, top teams. And now he needs to rethink all his coaching to adapt to players who are in theory at a very high level but for whom you need to recreate the basic foundations of play.

It’s funny that you’re talking about Chelsea and the need for patience. I’ve heard you say similar about Milan. And moving on to your third big club – Marseille – I think it’s similar there – there is always an expectation, an impatience to succeed immediately. What do you think of Marseille right now?

It’s like other clubs – some of whom have more potential – in terms of hopes. I find that often the club, or rather the supporters – or the media that is affiliated to the club – the local paper La Provence and others – influence too much the idea that in the past we were always title challengers so we should be continuing in the same dynamic. In modern football all clubs invest, and all clubs have players of quality.

If you don’t have international starters in your team you can’t expect to be challenging for titles. And they deceive themselves – they start the season with “hopes”, knowing that when you look at the squad player by player, you realise that you’re more likely playing for a place in mid-table, a bit better if you can generate a positive dynamic and with a bit of luck. If those two elements come together, maybe we can challenge and finish in the top 6. But they’re doing themselves a disservice. And that’s what winds me up sometimes, similarly to what I said with Chelsea – the evidence is there and it’s the same with Marseille.

Gattuso – great – I respect him a lot – but he doesn’t have the squad. There isn’t the squad. When you look at all the positions. They all still need to learn, and there isn’t that added value – that no.10, that playmaker who can put away a free kick or make a difference at any moment. Look at players that they’ve had like the Chilean – Alexis Sanchez – who are past their best. I’m not sure if they still have that desire within them, and we place all our hopes on their ability, whereas now at Inter Milan – if he was still a great player like they claimed – he’d be a regular starter. But Sanchez’s stats since he arrived at Inter? He might not yet have started a single match. You see what I mean? So it’s lots of different things.

But the club owes it to itself to constantly expect to be a title challenger. And we’re a bit frustrated at Marseille, where we have the feeling that the owner [Frank McCourt] isn’t really invested. He has delegated to a president who is super-smart – but it’s all very well being smart – if there is no money, if there isn’t the budget to buy your first choices, you’re going to struggle. And France no longer attracts first choices. You have Italy, Spain, England – which means that it’s super hard to find that Uruguayan, that Argentinian, that player from Africa, to find that gem. It’s super hard.

Marcel Desailly was speaking on behalf of GamblingZone.

GFFN | Jeremy Smith

Messi was the strong favourite to win the Ballon d’Or having won the World Cup with Argentina back in December. It is the eighth, and likely final time, that he has won the prestigious accolade, awarded by France Football. No other player comes close to rivalling Messi in terms of Ballon d’Or wins. Cristiano Ronaldo, who has won five, comes closest. The Portuguese international did not feature on the shortlist to win the prize this year. 

However, despite Messi’s achievements over the course of his career, Deschamps isn’t convinced that the former Paris Saint-Germain forward can be considered the greatest of all time. The France manager was present at the Ballon d’Or ceremony in Paris on Monday night and told Futbol Picante, “The Argentinians [say that Messi is the best of all time]. He is one of them, but is difficult to say that Messi is better than Cristiano Ronaldo or Kylian Mbappé, who is younger.” 

Mbappé is yet to win the Ballon d’Or, but secured his highest ranking on Monday, finishing third behind Manchester City’s Erling Haaland and winner Messi.

GFFN | Luke Entwistle

Erling Haaland – Norway and Manchester City (23)

Erling Haaland’s incredible scoring record has catapulted him into the ranks of Ballon d’Or favorites. The Norwegian sensation is a goal-scoring machine, with an astonishing 56 goals for Manchester City / Norway and a ratio of 0.98 goals per match. The 23-year-old freakish goalscorer has also won the treble with City this season.

Kylian Mbappé – France and PSG (24)

After Karim Benzema picked up the award a year ago, has the Frenchman done enough to keep the award on home territory? The Bondy-born striker has been pivotal in France’s success, netting 54 goals this season for Les Bleus and PSG at a rate of 0.93 goals per match. Mbappé’s electrifying pace, dribbling ability, and his habit of performing on the grandest stages have placed him in contention. Not to mention that hat-trick in the World Cup final…

Harry Kane – England and Bayern Munich / Tottenham (30)

The England captain has switched club, but has had another consistant goalscoring year With 40 goals for The Three Lions and Tottenham / Bayern Munich. The former Premier League ace has a goal ratio of 0.67 per match. Kane is still aiming to become the first English player to win the award since Michael Owen in 2001.

Lionel Messi – Argentina and Inter Miami / PSG (36)

Lionel Messi is a perennial Ballon d’Or candidate. The Argentine maestro, with 38 goals and a goal ratio of 0.7 per match, continues to provide the magic touch for his club (s) and country. The Argentine captain left PSG in the summer and has provided the star power for Inter Miami and David Beckham’s American dream with a Leagues Cup win. Let’s not forget he captained his country to an World Cup victory back in December 2022, against none other than Les Bleus in one of the most entertaining finals in recent times.

Robert Lewandowski – Poland and FC Barcelona (35)

Poland’s Robert Lewandowski is once again a Ballon d’Or contender. With 36 goals for Barcelona and Poland, and a goal ratio of 0.64 per match, the former Bayern Munich man still has his finishing touch, helping Barça win their first La Liga title since 2019.

GFFN | George Boxall

Tchouaméni couldn’t fully celebrate Los Blancos’ 2-1 Clasico victory on Saturday, secured by a late winner from Jude Bellingham. For the Frenchman, the fixture ended on a sour note, having suffered a metatarsal fracture. The La Liga side communicated on Tchouaméni’s injury on Sunday, confirming an incomplete stress fracture of the second metatarsal of the left foot. 

He is therefore set to be out for several weeks. The Real Madrid midfielder will therefore miss France’s next two matches (against Gibraltar on 18th November and against Greece on 21st November). His absence will be a blow for Didier Deschamps but it will ultimately be inconsequential with France having already secured qualification for Euro 2024. Tchouaméni has been a guaranteed starter for Les Bleus, especially since injuries to N’Golo Kanté and Paul Pogba. 

Warren Zaïre-Emery, who captained the France U21 side in the most recent international break, is set to therefore receive his first international call-up, according to L’Équipe. 

GFFN | Luke Entwistle

As reported by Fabrizio Romano, Messi is the strong favourite to win the prize. It would come after a year in which the Argentinian won the World Cup for the first time, and according to Hazard, who announced his retirement earlier this month, it is this accolade that should determine the winner. “It wouldn’t be logical to not give the Ballon d’Or to the best player in history in the year that he won the World Cup,” said the former Chelsea and Real Madrid forward. 

Giroud has also backed Messi to win the Ballon d’Or and beat international teammate Kylian Mbappé to the prize. “Who won the World Cup? That’s how it often works. On top of that, he played an important role in the World Cup so I think the Ballon d’Or will be given to Lionel Messi,” France’s record goalscorer told Téléfoot. 

Last year, Karim Benzema became the first Frenchman to win the Ballon d’Or since Zinédine Zidane, after he guided Real Madrid to the Champions League. Despite Mbappé also shining in the World Cup, scoring a hat-trick in the final, he looks set to miss out on the prize.  

GFFN | Luke Entwistle

Dina Ebimbe initially joined Frankfurt on a season-long loan from PSG, before making the deal permanent for €6.5m in the summer. He has quickly become a key element of the Bundesliga club’s midfield, featuring 13 times in all competitions so far this season, scoring five times and registering three assists. 

The France U21 international’s form is not going unnoticed. According to Foot Mercato, Dina Ebimbe, who scored a brace in the UEFA Europa Conference League in midweek, is garnering interest from RB Leipzig. The Bundesliga club could soon make an offer to acquire the French midfielder’s services. Dina Ebimbe has been tracked by Leipzig for a long time, whilst many other top clubs across Europe are also monitoring the former PSG player’s situation with a view to a potential move. 

GFFN | Luke Entwistle

Konaté’s absence was not felt at Anfield on Thursday night, as Liverpool strode to a comfortable victory over Le TéFéCé. Thijs Dallinga gave the Merseyside club a small scare when he cancelled out Diogo Jota’s opener in the first half, but Liverpool then went on to score four without reply to retain top spot in their Europa League group and inflict a first defeat on Toulouse. 

Speaking to French media, Klopp then explained Konaté’s absence, pointing out the prominent role that the centre-back played for France in the most recent international break, which included victories over the Netherlands and Scotland. “He did not start tonight. He’s not even in the squad. I love absolutely everything about Ibou, but the problem is that Ibou has injury problems from time to time, and Monsieur Deschamps played him 90 and 87 minutes in the two games so we’ve used this time now to give him a little rest. He could have played tonight of course but he has to play on Sunday again,” began Klopp in a post-match interview with RMC Sport. 

He added, “I told Ibou, tell Monsieur Deschamps, that’s how you rest a player. Not just three minutes. But we are more than happy with Ibou. [He is a] fantastic boy and a super player and France can be really happy to have him.”

Liverpool face Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Sunday, before an EFL Cup encounter against Bournemouth on Wednesday evening. 

GFFN | Luke Entwistle