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Deschamps Leaves World Cup Bubble After Mother's Death, Stéphan Steps In

The French federation confirmed he will miss pre-match sessions plus the June 26 Norway game pending his return, with assistant Guy Stéphan taking charge.

Overview

  • The Fédération Française de Football announced on Tuesday that Didier Deschamps' mother has died and that he returned to France to attend funeral rites.
  • The FFF said Deschamps will not run pre-match trainings or be on the bench for Friday's Group I match in Boston on June 26.
  • Assistant coach Guy Stéphan has been named acting head coach and will lead France in preparation for and during the Norway match until Deschamps comes back.
  • Players held a minute of silence at the team's U.S. base and captain Kylian Mbappé publicly offered condolences to Deschamps and his family.
  • Sporting impact is limited to group seeding because France had already qualified for the round of 16, though the match will decide first or second place in Group I and thus affect the knockout path.