Corinne Diacre was fired on Thursday as national coach of the French women’s team after a conflict with a number of top players. The French Football Federation (FFF) set up a working group last week to make a decision about the fate of the maligned national coach.
Two weeks ago, top players Wendie Renard, Kadidiatou Diani and Marie-Antoinette Katoto announced that they would no longer play for France under Diacre. The FFF then set up a four-member working group to resolve the conflict, the nature of which is not entirely clear.
Diacre, who spoke of a smear campaign, said on Wednesday that he did not intend to resign. The future of the 48-year-old national coach was discussed on Thursday during a meeting of the association. Diacre still had a contract until 2024, the year in which the Olympic Games will be held in Paris.
“There is no going back. The conflict damages the selection,” the union said in a statement on the site. The FFF is now looking for a suitable candidate for the World Cup, which will take place from 20 July to 20 August.
Multiple conflicts under Diacre
Renard, Diani and Katoto said two weeks ago that they would not play for France again until “the necessary changes had been made”. “I can no longer support the current system, which is far from the requirements for the highest level,” said Renard, 32. The national coach also received criticism from players Gaëtane Thiney and Sarah Bouhaddi.
The conflict of the past few weeks is not an isolated one. After Diacre’s appointment in 2017, several players clashed with the national coach.
Last year, star players Amandine Henry and Eugénie Le Sommer did not make themselves available for the European Championship in England, where France was eliminated in the semi-finals, due to the conflicts with Diacre. And after losing in the quarter-finals of the European Championship in 2017, Diacre decided to take the captain’s armband from Renard. Renard was captain again during the European Championship 2022.
Due to the dismissal of Diacre, there is a good chance that Renard will be there again next summer at the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. France will face Brazil, Jamaica and Panama in the group stage. It is not yet known who will succeed Diacre.
