Pierre Ménès accuses certain media outlets of seeking to destabilize France ahead of World Cup

Pierre Ménès believes the French national team is the subject of a media destabilization campaign as the 2026 FIFA World Cup approaches, where Les Bleus will face Senegal as early as June 16 in Boston.

On his YouTube channel, the former Canal+ consultant reacted to recent articles reporting discontent among certain French players following the use of their image by a sports betting company partnering with the FFF. For him, the multiplication of these stories is no accident. “What I especially notice is this eagerness that certain journalists, and even certain non-journalists, have to clearly stir up trouble within the French team,” he declared.

Ménès cites indiscriminately the tensions surrounding Kylian Mbappé, Rayan Cherki’s statement, the question of bonuses and even the number of places allocated to players for their loved ones. “There is always something and a willingness to nitpick, not to mention the narrative that says: ‘Oh, this French team, it’s not really that extraordinary, it’s unbalanced.’ ” He describes this atmosphere as an “unhealthy narrative, unfortunately typically French.”

The observer does not spare the French Football Federation either. He specifically points to president Philippe Diallo, whom he accuses of having “acted like an idiot by deciding to cut bonuses a few days before the World Cup,” then by not providing enough places to players — paid places, he specifies, not free invitations. “All of this is a demonstration of catastrophic management,” he concludes.

Les Bleus play a friendly match against Northern Ireland on Monday before heading to the United States.