The president of the French Football Federation, Philippe Diallo, has cast doubt on what was obvious to everyone else that Zinedine Zidane will be appointed national team manager of Les Bleus.
For a long time, it has been widely believed that Zidane will take over Didier Deschamps’ position as France national team coach after the 2026 World Cup.
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“Zizou” has not had a coaching job since leaving Real Madrid in 2021, despite being the subject of numerous approaches, and it has long been assumed that he will take over the helm from the departing Deschamps in the summer.
However, Diallo, in an interview with L’Equipe, has cast doubt on the possibility of Zidane being appointed manager of Les Bleus.
“A lot of things can happen, and not necessarily things people might expect,” Diallo said.
“I have already said it, I have a lot of admiration and respect for Zidane, both for what he has done for French football, and for what he has shown as a coach, by winning trophies. But everything has its time. At the moment, we are preparing for the World Cup.”
Diallo added that the announcement of Deschamps’ successor could come before the World Cup, rather than after the tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
“There are only two windows [to announce a new coach]. Either at the end of the World Cup, or a slightly earlier window, which is sufficiently far away from the playoffs of the tournament,” Diallo explained.
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“An alternative could be at the end of the first quarter of 2026, around March-April, to be far enough away from the playoffs of the tournament. I don’t want any disturbance.”
In January, Deschamps announced that he will step down from his role as France national team coach.
The 57-year-old coach is France’s longest-serving national team manager, and has been in charge since 2012. He has since led Les Bleus to victory in the World Cup in 2018, as well as reaching the final of the World Cup in 2022 and the European Championship in 2016.
