This Thursday, the French Football Federation announced that Corinne Diacre is no longer head coach of the women’s national team. Dismissal comes after boycott of major players such as Captain Wendie Renard and allegations of bullying.
France will compete in the Women’s World Cup that begins in July this year and is in Group F, along with Brazil, Jamaica and Panama. In recent weeks, three athletes have announced that they will not be part of the French squad while Diacre is in charge.
Runner-up world champion in 2019 and three times voted best player in women’s football, Wendie Renard announced last month her departure from the national team, stating that she “can no longer support the current system, which is far from the requirements of the highest level” and justified the act as “necessary to preserve mental health”.
In a statement released on Thursday, the French Football Federation revealed that Corinne Diacre had created “a very significant divide” with players who had “reached a point of no return”.
According to The Guardian newspaper, one of the reasons for the internal crisis in the French national team was the removal of Renard’s captaincy belt after France’s elimination in Euro 2017. In addition, the coach left striker Marie-Antoinette Katoto de out of the squad for the 2019 World Cup, even though she was the top scorer in Ligue 1 that season.
In 2020, goalkeeper Sarah Bouhaddi declared that she would be absent from the national team while Diacre remained in charge. At Euro 2022, Diacre did not call up athletes Amandine Henry and Eugénie Le Sommer after public disagreements with the coach.
Thank you for your support and respect for my decision. 🇬🇧 pic.twitter.com/MOryINwvb0
— Wendie Renard (@WRenard) February 24, 2023
Source: Gazetaesportiva
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