Corinne Deacon at a press conference on February 26, 2020. -

CHRISTOPHE SAIDI / SIPA

“The France team does not belong to anyone”.

Here is the answer given by the coach of the Blue Corinne Deacon, questioned on the refusal of the goalkeeper Sarah Bouhaddi to wear the tricolor jersey as long as she is in post at the head of the Blue.

"I think I took her decision into account by not selecting her" for the September rally, she said.

It is "difficult to select someone who does not want to wear the blue jersey," Deacon added in a press video conference from Sköpje where the Blue faces North Macedonia on Tuesday in qualifying for Euro 2022.

“She expressed that obviously I was the cause [of her choice] to no longer come to the France team,” admitted the coach about the Lyon goalkeeper (149 selections).

"Now the France team does not belong to anyone, neither to the players nor to the coach," she stressed.

Sommer hails "a courageous decision on his part"

At the end of July, Bouhaddi announced to put his international career on hold.

“Deep down, I want to continue with the France team, because I love this jersey, the pleasure of playing for my country.

Quite simply, I feel the need to take a break, ”explained the 33-year-old player to the Olympique-et-Lyonnais.com site.

The sports daily

L'Equipe

delivered another version.

“Informed by Jean-Luc Vasseur, her coach at OL, that she was pre-summoned, Bouhaddi informed the coach by SMS that as long as she (Deacon) would be in office, she would not set foot again in selection, ”wrote the newspaper in its Monday edition.

“I respect Sarah's decision (…) It's a courageous decision on her part,” commented her Lyon teammate Eugenie Le Sommer on Monday in front of a few journalists.

"Everything was not perfect in the past, it is now necessary to move forward, to change certain things too" and "the coach is also making efforts in this direction", she concluded. more diplomatically.

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