France national team coach Didier Deschamps declined to comment on the controversy surrounding Kylian Mbappe on Wednesday. The Paris Saint-Germain striker told the sports newspaper L’Equipe the day before that he did not feel much support from his internationals after he missed a penalty against Switzerland that meant he was eliminated in the eighth final of the European Championship.
Deschamps claimed he had not read the interview a day before France faced Belgium in the Nations League semi-finals in Turin. “I don’t know what he said. I didn’t read it and I don’t care,” he sounded furious. “I talked to him and had a discussion. That’s all I care. You can’t change the past.”
France captain Hugo Lloris thought it was time for world champions France to leave the failed European Championship behind. “The European Championship is behind us, we are now working on the Nations League,” said the Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper. “It is good for us to play against a strong opponent like Belgium. Although the Nations League cannot be compared to a European Championship or the World Cup, it is a tournament with the best teams in Europe.”
