Paris Saint-Germain attacker Kylian Mbappe has accused French FA president Noel Le Graet of "disrespect" towards Zinedine Zidane in the wake of Didier Deschamps's contract extension.
Deschamps led France to back-to-back World Cup finals in Qatar, although Les Bleus lost to Argentina on penalties, and his contract was originally due to expire at the end of the calendar year.
The 54-year-old's future was left shrouded in uncertainty following France's World Cup heartbreak, but he has since signed a long-term extension until 2026.
As a result, Deschamps will take charge of Les Bleus for the upcoming Euro 2024 and World Cup 2026 qualifying campaigns, despite Zidane being heavily linked with the manager's job.
The former World Cup-winning midfielder has been out of the game since leaving Real Madrid for a second time in 2021, and he had supposedly turned down offers from clubs in the hope of succeeding Deschamps.
© Reuters
Zidane was also believed to have been approached by Brazil, who are on the lookout for a replacement for Tite, but Le Graet has claimed that he would not have even picked up the phone if the 50-year-old called and 'did not care' where he ended up.
"I don't care, he can go where he wants. He can go where he wants, in a club or a national team, I hardly believe it as far as he is concerned," The Mirror quotes Le Graet as saying.
"Zidane was always under the radar. He had a lot of followers; some were waiting for Deschamps to leave. But who can seriously criticise Deschamps? No one can. There have not been many problems. His departure always generates clicks.
"I have never seen Zidane, we've never thought of separating ourselves from Didier Deschamps. That doesn't correspond to anything. Some journalists need to change or invent because they don't know what to write and prefer to say bad things than good things.
"Frankly, those who condemn in advance have never taken me out. Did Zidane try to contact me? Of course not, I wouldn't even have picked up the phone. To tell him to look for another club? Make a special program so that you can find a club or a national team."
Zidane c'est la France, on manque pas de respect à la légende comme ça... 🤦🏽♂️
— Kylian Mbappé (@KMbappe) January 8, 2023
Le Graet's comments did not sit well with Mbappe, who reacted on social media with a tweet saying: "Zidane is France, we don't disrespect the legend like that," accompanied by a facepalming emoji.
Zidane, who is also understood to have turned down the opportunity to become the new manager of the USA, won three successive Champions League titles at Real Madrid between 2016 and 2018.
The Frenchman also claimed two La Liga titles, two Club World Cups, two UEFA Super Cups and two Supercopa de Espana crowns, as well as being named the world's best club coach in 2017 and 2018.
France have been drawn against the Netherlands, the Republic of Ireland, Greece and Gibraltar in Group B of Euro 2024 qualifying and will face the former in their first game since the World Cup on March 24.
Ben Knapton
