Deschamps misses match due to mother's death; assistant takes over
France national football team head coach Didier Deschamps has returned home after his mother's passing, leaving assistant Guy Stéphan to lead the team in the final group game against Norway.
The French Football Federation (FFF) has confirmed that head coach Didier Deschamps learned of his mother's death on Tuesday morning. FFF president Philippe Diallo granted the 57-year-old permission to return to his homeland for the funeral. During Deschamps' absence, his long-time assistant Guy Stéphan will take charge of the team.
France has already secured a spot in the knockout stage after victories over Senegal and Iraq. The final group game against Norway, scheduled for Friday in Boston, will determine the winner of Group I.
Deschamps is one of France's most decorated football figures. As a player, he won the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000. He became national team head coach in 2012, leading France to victory at the 2018 World Cup in Russia and a runner-up finish at the 2022 World Cup, losing to Argentina.
Deschamps is only the third coach to win the World Cup both as a player and as a manager, following Brazil's Mario Zagallo and Germany's Franz Beckenbauer, both of whom died in early January 2024, two days apart.
