France Women’s manager Corinne Diacre has spoken to the media for the first time since a number of her players withdrew from the national team and criticised her management.
The under-pressure coach, in a statement given to AFP, as quoted by L’Équipe, has reiterated her intention of leading Les Bleues at the World Cup this summer, and has called out a “destabilising operation” against her, notably speaking of a “shameful media battering“.
France captain Wendie Renard was the first to announce that she was stepping back, and was soon followed by PSG pair Marie-Antoinette Katoto and Kadidiatou Diani. Support has also come from the likes of Eugénie Le Sommer, who is no longer called up following reported tensions with Diacre.
Tomorrow’s French FA executive board meeting will see the coach’s future at the centre of discussions, with a four-member commission having been tasked with leading a series of hearings beforehand – including Diacre on Tuesday, according to her lawyer. That commission includes Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas – where Renard and Le Sommer play – who has called on the board to take into account the players’ views.
“For over ten days, I’ve been the subject of a campaign of a smear campaign which is astonishing in its violence and dishonesty. My detractors are not hesitating – with no worry for the truth – to attack my personal and professional integrity, four months before the World Cup.”
GFFN | Raphaël Jucobin
