Europe 1 with AFP 5:01 p.m., March 8, 2023

Dropped by several players from the French football team, coach Corinne Deacon came out of silence on Wednesday.

The former coach of Clermont in Ligue 2 denounced "a destabilization operation" and "a smear campaign which astounds with its violence and dishonesty".

Coach Corinne Deacon, let go by several players and close to eviction, came out of silence on Wednesday, refusing to let go on the eve of a decisive meeting for her future at the French Football Federation, at four and a half months of the World.

The executive committee of the FFF meets Thursday (9:30 a.m.) with on the agenda the situation of the French women's team, plunged into a historic crisis since the withdrawal of Wendie Renard, Kadidiatou Diani and Marie-Antoinette Katoto , the three most emblematic players in the squad.

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The last days of Corinne Deacon at the head of the Blue?

Main target of this sling, Deacon may be living his last days at the head of the Bleues, as the pressure is strong around the methods and management put in place since his arrival in 2017. But the 48-year-old coach, who has remained silent since the announcements of his players, does not intend to leave his post and made it known on Wednesday, in a press release sent to AFP by his lawyer, Christophe Ayela.

"In view of the shameful media outburst of recent days, I nevertheless wish to publicly reaffirm (...) that I am fully determined to carry out my mission and, above all, to bring honor to France at the next World Cup. "This summer in Australia (July 20 - August 20), says the boss of Les Bleues.

Deacon denounces a "smear campaign"

Under contract until the summer of 2024, the former coach of Clermont in Ligue 2 denounces "a destabilization operation" and "a smear campaign which astounds with its violence and dishonesty".

"My critics do not hesitate - without embarrassing themselves with the truth - to attack my personal and professional integrity", she explains in the press release.

The message is clear for the FFF and its interim president Philippe Diallo: the former defender will not resign.

Thursday morning, the federation therefore faces its first major decision since the resignation of ex-president Noël Le Graët, announced last Tuesday.

The "Comex", where Deacon is not invited, will first hear the recommendations of a special commission set up eight days ago to "draw up an assessment of the current situation".

Four members of the "government" of the FFF make it up - Jean-Michel Aulas, Laura Georges, Aline Riera and Marc Keller - and have conducted auditions in recent days, in particular soliciting several players from the selection.

Deacon, auditioned Tuesday for nearly two hours according to her lawyer, did she convince her interlocutors?

In recent days, all federal sources interviewed were in favor of an eviction.

A situation that appears insoluble for the FFF

This hypothesis also seemed reinforced by the words of Jean-Michel Aulas, president of OL and close to Wendie Renard, who no longer concealed his wish to see Deacon leave.

"From the moment people express themselves in a balanced way, with arguments, we have to listen to them. We will take our responsibilities", had advanced the leader after the last Comex.

But Deacon said in his statement on Wednesday that Aulas had "assured him that he was ready to reconsider his public remarks by now considering the situation with objectivity and impartiality".

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The situation is in any case quite insoluble: a dismissal could give the impression that the players have the power, while a retention would force France to play a World Cup without its three main assets.

In addition, the statutes of the FFF do not specify who of the executive committee or the president has the power to appoint or dismiss the coaches of the French teams.

Noël Le Gräet was not bothered by it: he had managed Deacon's extension alone until the 2024 Olympics, last summer.

The hypothesis of a dismissal of Deacon would open the quest for a successor at the head of the Blue.

Several profiles stand out: the names of Gérard Prêcheur (PSG), Sonia Bompastor (Lyon), Sandrine Soubeyrand (Paris FC), Eric Blahic (ex-deacon of Deacon) or even Hervé Renard, the current coach of Saudi Arabia , have been mentioned internally or by the press in recent days.