France coach Didier Deschamps has urged his players to stay focused on their World Cup quarter-final against Morocco, despite growing attention on issues off the pitch.
Speaking at a news conference on Wednesday, Deschamps faced questions about racist remarks directed at captain Kylian Mbappé, refereeing decisions, and his own future. Meanwhile, French authorities are preparing for possible unrest before Thursday’s match, with thousands of police officers expected to be deployed across the country. More than 250 people, many in Paris, were arrested after France’s 2-0 victory over Morocco in the 2022 World Cup semi-final.
The match also carries significant sporting importance. A win would keep France on course to become only the third nation, after Brazil and Germany, to reach the final of three consecutive World Cups. Morocco, meanwhile, became the first African nation to reach a World Cup semi-final in 2022.
“We met them four years ago in the semifinal. They also played in the African final. It is a really great, excellent team with top-notch individuals. They’re not here to play. They’re there to win,” Deschamps said. “They like to attack to score goals. We have to be ready.”
Morocco coach Mohamed Ouahbi said his side had no intention of treating a place in the last eight as an achievement in itself.
“I don’t like this feeling where we can say what we’ve done up until now is great and the rest is a bonus,” he said. “No, the only bonus is to win the World Cup.”
Midfielder Brahim Diaz said Morocco’s 3-0 victory over Canada in the round of 16 reflected the squad’s mindset.
“This is our mentality,” he said. “We want to keep going. Everybody wants to play in this type of game.”
France midfielder Michael Olise remains one booking away from suspension after FIFA rejected the country's appeal against the yellow card he received during the 1-0 win over Paraguay in the last 16.
“We received FIFA’s decision this morning that the yellow card was maintained,” Deschamps said.
Olise was cautioned in the 97th minute after an altercation with Paraguay’s Matías Galarza. Television replays showed the French midfielder grabbing Galarza’s shirt before the Paraguayan fell to the ground. Another booking against Morocco would rule Olise out of France’s next match.
Morocco will be without midfielder Ismael Saibari, who suffered a thigh injury during the victory over Canada, Ouahbi confirmed.
France’s appeal followed FIFA’s decision to overturn the suspension of United States forward Folarin Balogun after US President Donald Trump appealed directly to FIFA president Gianni Infantino over the player’s red card against Bosnia and Herzegovina. Balogun was cleared to face Belgium, although the United States still lost 4-1 and were eliminated.
On Monday, Mbappé condemned racist comments made by a Paraguayan senator following France’s win over Paraguay. Deschamps said his captain remained fully focused.
“Kylian is OK. Whatever happens, I don’t want to look back and think about it again. He’s a very strong guy mentally and physically. He’s just focused on tomorrow’s game,” he said.
The France coach also dismissed concerns over refereeing after three French players were booked against Paraguay, while their opponents received only one yellow card.
“It is out of our control,” he said. “I trust the refereeing. Some refereeing decisions may lead to discussions. It really depends on everyone’s opinion. Our opponent is Morocco, not the referee.”
Deschamps, 57, has already announced he will step down after the tournament. The former captain led France to the 1998 World Cup title as a player and guided the national team to the 2018 World Cup crown as coach.
“The last game could have been the last one,” he said. “In my head, with the technical staff, we want to win tomorrow. That’s the objective. In a football game there are many possibilities when it comes to tomorrow’s result. I’m focused on the Moroccan team so we can win that game.”
