A bang for the World Cup contenders France: A trio led by captain Wendie Renard throws out almost five months before the World Cup. The star defender and her teammates report major problems surrounding the French national team.
A few months before the soccer World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, the French world-class defender Wendie Renard surprisingly announced her retirement from the national team. “I love France more than anything, I’m far from perfect but I can no longer support the current system which is far from what is required at the highest level,” wrote the 32-year-old captain on social media . She is therefore resigning from the team led by coach Corinne Diacre. The relationship between Diacre and Renard is considered charged.
Renard, who plays with DFB players Dzsenifer Marozsán and Sara Däbritz at Olympique Lyon, indicated mental problems in her statement: “Today is a sad day, but it is necessary to keep my sanity,” she wrote. “My face may hide the pain, but the heart suffers… and I don’t want to suffer anymore.”
The 1.87 meter tall central defender made 142 appearances for the French national team. Coach Diacre took her captain’s armband from her in 2017, which is why Renard was not allowed to lead her country as leader at the 2019 World Cup. In 2021, Diacre trusted the top player, who had played her first international match in 2011, to put the bandage back on.
After Renard, strikers Kadidiatou Diani and Marie-Antoinette Katoto also announced that they no longer wanted to play for the national team – at least temporarily. The Paris Saint-Germain players cited “necessary management changes” as the reason. As long as these do not exist, they would no longer wear the jersey of the EM semi-finalists in 2022.
The French Football Federation (FFF) then issued a statement. In the statement, FFF reiterated that “no individual stands above the institution of the French national team” and announced that the Executive Committee would consider the matter next Tuesday.
