This archive report was first published on 7 October 2021.
On October 6, 2021, in Turin, Italy, France coach Didier Deschamps dismissed controversy surrounding Kylian Mbappe after the star forward expressed his desire for more support from his teammates following France's early exit from the Euro 2020 tournament.
Published two days before Mbappe's 50th cap for the national team, an interview with sports daily L'Equipe revealed the forward's sentiments about the missed penalty against Switzerland that ended France's European Championship campaign at the last 16 stage.
However, Deschamps claimed he hadn't even read the article, stating, 'I don't know what he said, I didn't read it and it doesn't interest me.'
Deschamps further emphasized that he had spoken to Mbappe and had a discussion with him, and that's all that mattered for him. He added, 'What's done is done, you can't go back into the past.'
France captain Hugo Lloris, meanwhile, urged the team to put the Euro flop behind them and focus on the upcoming match against Belgium in the Nations League semi-finals.
'It's not a good idea to mix competitions,' Lloris said. 'The Euro finished a few months ago and now we're talking about the Nations League semi-final.'
He added that playing against a strong team like Belgium would make things better for France and that the Nations League, although not as important as the World Cup or the Euro, is a tournament involving the best teams in Europe.
When asked about the possibility of a biennial World Cup, Lloris expressed his concerns, stating that it would drain some of the magic from the tournament, which is currently played every four years.
