Didier Deschamps ‘will continue’ as France head coach, says FFF president

French Football Federation (FFF) president Philippe Diallo says there is “no reason” to question Didier Deschamps’ future as men’s national team head coach following their elimination at the semi-final stage of the European Championship.

Diallo added that he will speak to Deschamps in the coming days to see whether the World Cup-winning coach wants to continue in the role he has held since 2012.

France lost Tuesday’s semi-final 2-1 against Spain and Deschamps refused to discuss his future immediately after the game, instead saying, “Ask my president (Diallo)… I’ve just lost a semi-final”. Deschamps’ terms with France run until the end of the World Cup in 2026.

“I don’t see any reason to question his contract,” Diallo told L’Equipe on Wednesday. “Past results speak in his favour and the objectives have been achieved. Didier will continue his mission.

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“We’re going to be talking to each other over the next few days to analyse in greater depth what we lacked during this semi-final and what would have enabled us to go further.

“During this month, I’ve seen a lot of professionalism and a quest for excellence. We need to keep the French team moving in this direction.”

Diallo has been FFF president since January 2023 (Pat Batard/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images)

Deschamps, 55, took charge of France following Euro 2012, when the team were defeated by Spain in the quarter-finals after finishing second in their group under Laurent Blanc. Since then, Deschamps has seen France reach at least the semi-finals of four of the six major tournaments they have competed in, including winning the 2018 World Cup.

France’s exit from this Euros also prompted questions about the future of some of their key players in recent years. Antoine Griezmann has been one of Deschamps’ most trusted forwards in the last few tournaments but the 33-year-old never found form in Germany and was dropped from the starting line-up in their final group game against Poland — a 1-1 draw — and the defeat by Spain.

But Griezmann stated his ambition to continue with the national team after coming on as a second-half substitute against Spain, telling RMC that he “still wants” to play for France with the 2026 World Cup in mind.

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(Alex Livesey/Getty Images)