Can France overcome infighting and ‘scandal’ of Henry’s Euro-absence? OLASMEDIA TV NEWSThis is what we have for you today:
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France has one of the best groups at the women’s Euros, but few expect them to win it. why? For years, they have been plagued by controversy, infighting and intrigue – and the issues refuse to go away.
Coach Corinne Diacre has been in charge since 2017 and insists the goal is to reach the final, but it seems almost impossible given what goes on in the background.
A month ago, Lyon’s Amandine Henry scored a great goal in the Champions League final and was named player of the match, but she will not go to Euros after falling out with Diacre after a disastrous 2019 World Cup. Her Lyon teammate Eugénie Le Sommer will not go either and Paris Saint-Germain’s Kheira Hamraoui will also miss.
While the first two are indicative of the problems that exist between some Lyon players and Diacre, Hamraoui’s absence is due to a horrific incident in 2021 when she was attacked by two masked men and beaten repeatedly with an iron bar.
Hamraoui’s club mate Aminata Diallo was arrested and questioned by police, but released without charge a day later. A knowledge of Diallo, who was also questioned by the police, was similarly released without charge.
It may seem like a club issue, but the dropout spilled over to the national team. In February, two France players, Katidiatou Diani and Marie-Antoinette Katoto, celebrated a goal against the Netherlands by forming an A with their fingers and confirming it is in support of Diallo. In April, another French player, Sandy Baltimore, had a quarrel on the training ground with Hamraoui at PSG in what was seen as a reminder that all was not well between the various factions of this group.
France Football journalist Théo Troude does not think the team can overcome the internal issues and have a successful tournament. “This French team is a ticking bomb,” he says. “It is really strange for us to see Corinne Diacre is still there because there are so many problems with her. Players cried in their rooms before 2019 World Cup matches. She spoke ill of many players. It is total chaos in the team. “
Lyon’s Amandine Henry, pictured with the Champions League trophy in May, is not part of France’s squad. Photo: Harriet Lander / Copa / Getty Images
As if that was not enough, PSG were hit by another scandal towards the end of the season with the women’s team coach, Didier Ollé-Nicolle, being accused of inappropriate behavior and suspended. The coach denied the allegations.
Married believes the issue could lead to more tension in the team. “We have five players from Lyon and five from PSG,” he said.
In the meantime, football will be played. The first of two friendly matches, against Cameroon, was won 4-0 and France usually has an excellent record in group stages of tournaments. They then seem to be underperforming and have not come past the quarterfinals of a major final since the 2012 Olympics.
After the 2019 World Cup, goalkeeper Sarah Bouhaddi said she would not return to the national team while Diacre is in charge. “Winning a title with this coach seems impossible to me,” she said at the time.
Defeat by the United States in that tournament, in the last eight, meant that France missed the Olympic Games in Tokyo and at the end of 2020, Henry, who was then the captain, exposed Diacre’s management style. Henry was not called up for Euro 2022 qualifications and said she was shocked by the nature of the coach’s phone call, which she said lasted less than a minute.
According to Troude, the omission of Henry is a “scandal”. “Henry is the one you look up to when you need spiritual help. She is the one who organizes the team. ”
Diacre defended her choice, describing it as “very natural, very professional” and saying: “We wanted to trust the players we’ve been working with for a while and who have qualified for the next World Cup for a certain balance.” She said Hamraoui “did not play for a few weeks, so it is difficult to judge her performance and it has changed the balance against her”.
It does not look promising for France, who kick off their campaign against Italy on 10 July. Will they be able to overcome their problems and go far? Only time will tell.
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