Deschamps Refuses Free Evening for France Squad Before Third-Place Playoff Against England

Didier Deschamps firmly refused French national team players who wanted a free evening Thursday in Fort Lauderdale, two days before the World Cup third-place playoff against England on Saturday.

The defeat suffered Tuesday against Spain (2-0) left its mark on the French squad. Several players expressed the need to clear their heads upon arrival in Florida, and some senior figures pressed the manager after an initial refusal. Deschamps remained inflexible.

The stakes are personal for the coach: this match against the Three Lions will be the last he directs from the France bench. Despite the disappointment of elimination and the limited prestige attached to this fixture, he intends to finish with a victory and is working to re-motivate a group hit hard.

“The disappointment matches our ambitions, even though we must be factual too, we must accept it, there is no choice,” he said. “We came up against a very good Spain team that raised its level. Is it that or us who were obviously a bit below? We are not meeting the appointment we wanted, that we expected, that we had as an objective.”

Deschamps then recalled the obligations facing his players: “We have this duty to ourselves, to what this shirt represents, to all the people behind us who have been invested. There are many disappointed people of course, but there is a match. It is not a friendly. OK, it will not change their lives, but all players must have this duty.”

France and England meet for the first time in official competition since their 2022 World Cup quarter-final, won by France. The third-place playoff takes place Saturday, while the final will pit Spain against the other semi-finalist Sunday at Met Life Stadium.