France head coach Corinne Diacre SACKED ahead of Women's World Cup after player revolt

• Diacre dismissed by France after six years in charge
• Key players recently withdrew from World Cup contention
• Criticisms were levelled at system and coach

WHAT HAPPENED? France captain Wendie Renard announced on on February 24 that she would not play at this summer's tournament because "the current system" is "far from the requirements of the highest level". Paris Saint-Germain stars Marie-Antoinette Katoto and Kadidiatou Diani followed her lead later that day.

Diani gave an interview on March 5 in which she criticised many things within the set-up, with some of those levelled at Diacre. For example, she noted the small number of staff around the team, adding: "It is the coach who decides on her staff."

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WHAT THEY SAID: The French Football Federation (FFF) confirmed Diacre's departure in an official statement, and highlighted the broken relationship between the players and management that had reached the point of “no return”.

The FFF executive board reached the decision at a meeting on Thursday, with the statement adding that “irreversible” damage had been done that made Diacre's position untenable.

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Diacre has had a number of public falling outs with players during her tenure, which began in 2017. She stripped Renard of her captaincy that year, saying her level was not good enough.

She has also not selected Amandine Henry, Lyon's star midfielder, since late 2020. It's a decision which the player believes "doesn't add up" given her performances for her club.

AND WHAT'S MORE: This leaves France in a difficult situation going into this summer, as the Women's World Cup is only four months away. The FFF needs to act quickly to bring in a replacement in order for the team to prepare well for a tournament that they have the ability to win.

IN TWO PHOTOS:

Getty

Getty

WHAT NEXT? Philippe Diallo, interim president of the FFF, has asked the executive committee to interview candidates for the position of coach as soon as possible and to make recommendations. Gerard Precheur, head coach of PSG, and Herve Renard, manager of Saudi Arabia's men's national team, have been linked with the role.