France Coach Declares His Return. What Does He Think of FIFA's Insensitive Gesture?

The "Les Bleus" coach missed the final group stage match against Norway (4-1), having traveled back to Europe after France secured their progression.

"I'm back. I'm doing well, and it's good to be busy again. It was a very difficult time for me. Now we are preparing for the next phase of the tournament," Deschamps stated.

In his absence, assistant Guy Stephan led the team. "It was a bit of a shock. The coach had complete trust in us, and we handled it as best we could. We're glad he's back. It's not easy to grieve under such circumstances," commented midfielder Adrien Rabiot.

The French Football Federation requested FIFA allow players to wear black armbands in the match against Norway to honor Deschamps' mother, but FIFA denied the request. "Honestly, it doesn't change much for me. I didn't need another symbol; I received more than enough support, both directly and indirectly," the French coach responded.

Against Sweden, France will be without forward Marcus Thuram, who is dealing with a calf muscle injury. Midfielder N'Golo Kante's participation is questionable. "Marcus has a minor muscle issue; it's nothing serious. For N'Golo, it's not a muscle injury, but he might not be ready to start," Deschamps said.

Defender William Saliba is expected to be ready despite back problems. "He's not 100 percent fit, but if he's at 99 percent, that's enough for the match," the coach added.

France won all three group matches, scoring ten goals and conceding only two. "We could have scored even more goals. We conceded two, but we allowed our opponents very few scoring opportunities," Deschamps concluded, according to AP.