Konaté: We want to give something back to Deschamps

French defender Ibrahima Konaté spoke ahead of his national team's third-place playoff match against England at the 2026 World Cup. He stated that even though his team is no longer competing for the world title, he and his teammates are obligated to do everything possible to give Didier Deschamps a dignified send-off, as this will be his final game as national coach.

“We are still playing for France; we must respect the jersey. It’s true that we want to give something back to Deschamps. He has done so much for us. We must be grateful that he was our coach,” Konaté said.

The match between France and England is scheduled for Sunday, July 19th, at midnight Bulgarian time. This game, along with all 104 matches of the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada, and Mexico, can be watched live on bnt.sportal.bg.