French football is facing a new crisis. In disagreement with the management of the national football team, the captain of the Bleues, Wendie Renard, announced on social networks, Friday February 24, her “decision to take a step back with the France team”. A few tens of minutes after this surprise announcement from Wendie Renard, the two strikers from the France team and Paris Saint-Germain Kadidiatou Diani and Marie-Antoinette Katoto also made public their withdrawal from Les Bleues.
Thank you for your support and respect for my decision. 🇬🇧 https://t.co/MOryINwvb0
Wendie Renard, who has had 142 selections since March 2, 2011, explains that she can no longer “endorse the current system, far from the requirements required by the highest level”. The Lyonnaise considers this withdrawal necessary to preserve her mental health and announces that she is renouncing, at the same time, the next World Cup, which will be held in Australia and New Zealand from July 20 to August 20, and which will begin for the Blue against Jamaica, July 23.
https://t.co/WDOgxqXabd
“My face can hide the pain, but my heart is in pain… and I don’t want to suffer anymore”, explains the 32-year-old player. Kadidiatou Diani and Marie-Antoinette Katoto call for “necessary changes” in the management of the French women’s team, aiming without naming Corinne Deacon, the coach of the Blue. This announcement of three key players is a thunderclap for French women’s football, just five months before the World Cup.
https://t.co/h2avCoUftR
Wendie Renard and Corinne Deacon, a complex relationship
Since the start of the season, the French have been going through a complicated period, they have suffered two significant defeats against two competitors for the world title, in October, the teams of Germany (2-1) and Sweden (3-0) . Led by Wendie Renard, they have however won the Tournoi de France in recent days, a friendly event, against nations deemed weaker: Denmark (1-0), Uruguay (5-1) and Norway (0- 0).
Wendie Renard is opening a new chapter in her complex relationship with coach Corinne Deacon, who removed the captain’s armband from the Martiniquaise when she arrived in 2017, before returning it to her in September 2021.
In recent days, for example, she had found it difficult to experiment with a new tactical system due to the lack of « temps » in selection, going against the choices of Corinne Deacon, who assumed a “staff review” and “trials” multiple a few months before the World Cup.
FFF Executive Committee on February 28
As Euro 2022 approached, where Les Bleues had reached the semi-finals, Corinne Deacon had already experienced a period of turbulence after dismissing two executives from the France team, Amandine Henry and the former captain and best tricolor scorer in the history of Les Bleues, Eugénie Le Sommer.
In a statement, the FFF said it had “read the statements of Wendie Renard, Kadidiatou Diani and Marie-Antoinette Katoto”. The federation intends to discuss the subject and the follow-up to be given during its executive committee on February 28. Furthermore, she adds, “the FFF would like to remind you that no individuality is above the institution Equipe de France”.