The French Senior Women’s National team is on the hunt for a new coach to lead the squad at the upcoming FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
This comes after the French Football Federation sacked head coach Corinne Diacre after some disharmony in the team, leading to three players – captain and star defender Wendy Renard Kadidiatou Diani and Marie-Antoinette Katoto – announced their withdrawal from national team duties, including the World Cup, until the coach left.
Diacre played for France between 1993 and 2005.
She became head coach from 2017 and was under contract until August 2024.
Prior to her dismissal, through her lawyers, she had released a statement saying there “a violent and dishonest smear campaign” against her but she was “determined to carry out my mission, and, above all, to do France proud at the next World Cup.”
But the FFF saw it differently and removed the 48 year old her from the post, four months before the global showpiece.
The statement read:
“The FFF Executive Committee, meeting on Thursday, March 9, received the conclusions of the commission commissioned by the Acting President, Philippe Diallo, to draw up an observation on the situation of the French Women’s Team, following the various positions of several players.
Composed of four members of Comex (Laura Georges, Aline Riera, Jean-Michel Aulas and Marc Keller), this commission delivered its conclusions and proposed its recommendations. The numerous hearings conducted made it possible to establish the observation of a very significant fracture with executive players and highlighted a discrepancy with the requirements of the very high level. This fracture has reached a point of no return that harms the interests of the selection.
If the FFF recognizes the involvement and seriousness of Corinne Diacre and her staff in the exercise of their mission, it appears that the malfunctions observed seem, in this context, irreversible.
In view of these elements, it was decided to end Corinne Diacre’s mission at the head of the French Women’s Team.
This change of coach is part of a new global ambition led by the FFF in favour of the development of women’s football and the performance of the French Team, which will have to achieve high objectives during the 2023 World Cup (July 20 to August 20) and the 2024 Olympics.
Philippe Diallo asked the commission to audition, as soon as possible, the candidates for the position of coach and to make his recommendations to him.
Comex also found that the way used by the players to express their criticism was no longer acceptable in the future and intends to propose in the governance of the French Women’s Team a complementary mission between Comex and the coach.”
In 2014 Diacre was in charge of second-division side Clermont, becoming the first woman to coach a professional men’s team in France.
She led the French National Team to the quarterfinals of the FIFA Women’s World Cup on home soil in 2019, losing to eventual champions USA, and also to the last four of the 2022 Women’s Euros in England last year.
The search is already underway to get in touch with possible candidates.
France is in Group F alongside Brazil, Jamaica and Panama. The FIFA Women’s World Cup runs from 20 July to 20 August.
By Matlhomola Morake
