Contested since the withdrawal of three players, Corinne Deacon must be notified of her departure by the executive committee of the French Football Federation this Thursday.
Corinne Deacon will no longer be coach of the French women’s football team, the sports management of Radio France learned on Wednesday March 8, confirming information from Europe 1. The executive committee of the French Football Federation (FFF) meets Thursday, March 9 at 10:30 a.m., and must notify him of his departure. Under contract until the 2024 Paris Olympics, it had been extended by Noël Le Graët, the now ex-president of the FFF who resigned on February 28.
As soon as he was appointed head of the national team in 2017, the ex-coach of the Clermont Foot men’s team had created controversy, by removing the captain’s armband from Wendie Renard. She reversed her decision four years later.
A mandate punctuated by controversy
Later, in 2020, conflicts had arisen with female players. Goalkeeper Sarah Bouhaddi had indeed announced her withdrawal from the France team, as long as Corinne Deacon remained in post. In an interview with Canal+ in November 2020, the Olympique Lyonnais midfielder and then captain of the France team denounced internal problems, claiming to have seen “girls crying in their room” during the 2019 Worlds and describing a “chaos total”. During this World Cup, Les Bleues lost in the quarter-finals (2-1) against the United States. At Euro 2022, they were eliminated at the gates of the final, beaten by Germany (2-1).
Since February 24, 2023, Corinne Deacon has again suffered a slingshot from players of the French women’s football team. The captain of the Bleues, Wendie Renard, announced her withdrawal four months from the 2023 World Cup. On social networks, she explained that she could no longer “support the current system far from the requirements required by the highest level”. Two other Les Bleues executives had followed the Lyonnaise: Marie-Antoinette Katoto and Kadidiatou Diani.
Defended by Noël Le Graët
Before resigning, Noël Le Graët in person had defended Corinne Deacon, during her last executive committee: “Corinne hasn’t lost that many matches (8, in 72 games). In any case, she is no worse than some men who were there before her. She has had three defeats since the World Cup” 2019 “where we were eliminated by the United States.”
“Corinne Deacon has only one goal: to remain coach of the French women’s team”, his lawyer Christophe Ayela also said on Wednesday March 8 on franceinfo. Through the voice of her council, the coach had waited ten days before breaking the silence, after the withdrawal of three emblematic players from the French football team.
“There is no reason why she should not be kept at the head of the France team”, assured the lawyer. The executive committee of the French Football Federation will therefore decide otherwise.
