Corinne Diacre has been sacked as coach of the France ladies’s group, the French Football Federation (FFF) introduced on Thursday, after her place was weakened following a revolt by main gamers.
The 48-year-old was underneath contract till 2024 however got here underneath critical stress after captain Wendie Renard introduced final month she would now not play for the group, with fellow stars Kadidiatou Diani and Marie-Antoinette Katoto following swimsuit.
The announcement comes simply over 4 months earlier than the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, the place a France aspect ranked fifth on this planet will hope to characteristic prominently.
The French federation — itself in disaster following the latest resignation of its scandal-hit 81-year-old president Noel Le Graet –- stated its personal investigation had uncovered “a major fracture with senior players” which had “reached a point of no-return that was damaging the team’s interests”.
“The FFF acknowledges the implication and the seriousness with which Corinne Diacre and her staff have done their job, but it seems the problems are, in this context, irreversible,” it added.
“In view of this, it has been decided to bring an end to Corinne Diacre’s job at the head of the France women’s team.”
Lyon defender Renard, who has 142 caps and is broadly thought of as top-of-the-line gamers on this planet, uncovered that fracture when she introduced final month that she wouldn’t go to the World Cup.
“I can no longer support the current system which falls a long way short of the demands required to compete at the highest level,” Renard stated.
Paris Saint-Germain ahead Diani, the highest scorer within the French league who like Renard was nominated for final yr’s Ballon d’Or, adopted swimsuit alongside along with her PSG teammate Katoto.
“We have reached a point of no going back. The girls just can’t cope with it any more,” Diani informed broadcaster TF1 final weekend, however the sacking of Diacre might now see these stars come again into the fold.
Diacre had informed AFP on Wednesday that she had been the sufferer of a “disgraceful media outburst” and that she was “completely determined to carry out my job and, above all, to do France proud at the next World Cup”.
She had been hoping to remain within the place till after subsequent yr’s Olympics in Paris.
Divisive reign
Diacre has an admirable CV, from profitable 121 caps as a participant to a groundbreaking three-year spell in command of males’s group Clermont within the French second division.
But she has been a divisive determine as France coach, from the second she stripped Renard of the captaincy early in her reign.
Another Lyon star, midfielder Amandine Henry, skippered the group on the 2019 World Cup however has been out of the image since late 2020 and likewise fell out with the coach.
Under Diacre, France misplaced to the United States within the quarter-finals as they hosted the 2019 World Cup.
Les Bleues then misplaced to Germany within the semi-finals of final yr’s European Championship in England. No new coach has been appointed, with France subsequent on account of play dwelling pleasant matches towards Colombia and Olympic champion Canada in April.
The FFF stated that its interim president, Philippe Diallo, had requested a committee to talk to potential candidates “as soon as possible”.
Current PSG coach Gerard Precheur is among the many names being linked to the emptiness.
France shouldn’t be the one group in disaster with the World Cup approaching.
Spain, ranked seventh on this planet, was plunged into disarray final September when 15 gamers resigned en masse, calling for main modifications.
However, the Spanish Football Federation backed coach Jorge Vilda and not one of the rebels have featured since.
Canadian gamers just lately threatened to strike in a row over pay, funding and contractual points, demanding the identical phrases as the boys’s group. The dispute led to the president of Canada Soccer resigning.
France begins its World Cup marketing campaign towards Jamaica in Sydney on July 23.
Source: sportstar.thehindu.com