Griezmann cuts ties with French media, Rothen calls on FFF to intervene

Antoine Griezmann turned away Téléfoot’s crew when they came to meet him in Orlando. “Sorry but I don’t want to talk to anyone anymore. It’s against no one,” the Orlando City striker simply said on camera, confirming the distance he has taken from French media since his departure to MLS.

Former PSG midfielder Jérôme Rothen reacted to this sequence during his show on Monday. He first put the player’s attitude into perspective, recalling that Griezmann had never been comfortable with the media. “He’s never been a great communicator, he’s never done big interviews, he didn’t like that,” he acknowledged.

But Rothen especially expressed his sadness at the symbolic rupture this distance represents. “I find it so sad to see the relationship he has with France today. Here we should build him a statue,” he said, highlighting the paradox of a player trained in Spain but who has always displayed unwavering pride in wearing the blue shirt.

The pundit also revisited the circumstances of Griezmann’s international retirement, announced on September 30, 2024. According to him, several factors gradually distanced the striker from Les Bleus: a repositioning on the pitch, the loss of the captain’s armband to Kylian Mbappé, and the emergence of a new generation. “He left as if nothing had happened, he slammed the door overnight and then it’s normal,” he regretted.

Rothen especially targeted the inaction of French football’s governing bodies, which he holds responsible for this rupture. “These people should be placed right up there, they deserve a tribute worthy of what they brought to football and how they made it shine.” Before concluding with a direct appeal: “Get on a plane and go see him. Go and explain yourselves to him, for God’s sake!”