The French national team coach, Didier Deschamps, made a revelation about his former counterpart from Ivory Coast, currently in charge at Marseille, Jean-Louis Gasset.
On Thursday, Didier Deschamps announced the list of players selected for the matches against Germany and Chile. The 55-year-old coach was asked to comment on Jean-Louis Gasset, the former right-hand man of his predecessor Laurent Blanc, who is enjoying a successful comeback with Marseille after resigning during the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations while in charge of the Ivorian national team, following a humiliating 4-0 defeat in the group stage. Indeed, the seventy-year-old has achieved a 100% win record in his first five matches on the Marseille bench, with 18 goals scored and only 3 conceded. So far, the Montpellier native has been performing his rescue mission brilliantly, especially considering that before his arrival on February 20, the Marseille team had gone seven matches without a single victory.
Deschamps opens up about his relationship with Gasset
These performances have been praised by the 1998 World Cup champion. During a press conference, Deschamps took the opportunity to share a revelation about his relationship with the former Ivory Coast boss. “That’s very good, good for him, someone I exchanged a lot with when he was in charge of Ivory Coast about players who could play with us or with him. It’s very good for him and Olympique de Marseille,” said the former Marseille midfielder. “On what he was asked to do so far, it’s a full house, congratulations. There is still a long way to go until the end of the season.”
At first glance, this seemingly innocuous revelation is likely to spark controversy as it implies that France would dictate the policy of certain African national teams, especially regarding dual nationals. The case of defender Wesley Fofana, who switched allegiance from Ivory Coast to France, is still fresh in people’s minds.
