France manager Didier Deschamps leaves World Cup camp after family tragedy

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Tom Weber | Writer

Multilingual sports writer who specialises in European football and American soccer.

France manager Didier Deschamps has left Les Bleus' World Cup camp following the passing of his mother.

The French federation has announced that the 57-year-old was informed of his mother's death on Tuesday morning and that he has been permitted to return to France to attend her funeral.

Consequently, Deschamps will not be able to lead France's upcoming training sessions, nor will he be on the sidelines for Les Bleus' clash with Norway on Friday, 26 June.

France qualified for the round of 32 on Monday after a 3-0 victory over Iraq and will be able to rotate their side and rest players against the Norwegians, who also reached the knockout stages yesterday following a 3-2 success against Senegal.

France's game with Iraq was notable in that it was the first fixture of this World Cup to be interrupted due to a thunderstorm. Play was suspended for two hours at half-time and only resumed once the storm had passed.

French federation announces Deschamps departure

In an official statement, the French federation announced Deschamps' departure and wished the 57-year-old "much courage" as he mourns the passing of his mother.

"Didier Deschamps will be unable to lead training sessions before the Norway-France match. He will also be unavailable for the bench on Friday for Les Bleus' final Group I match (9 p.m. local time)," the statement read.

"The national team coach was saddened to learn of his mother's death on Tuesday morning. He will return to France to attend her funeral.

"In agreement with Philippe Diallo, the president of the French Football Federation, who was present at the French national team's base camp for the World Cup in the United States, Didier Deschamps entrusted the responsibility of leading the group until his return to his assistant, Guy Stephan.

"In this extremely painful moment, we wish the coach and his family much courage and assure them of the support of everyone within the Federation."