French national team coach Didier Deschamps has returned to the country’s World Cup camp after missing their final group game to attend his mother’s funeral.
Deschamps flew back to France following the death of his mother, with the French Football Federation (FFF) announcing on Tuesday he would be absent from the touchline for the team’s Group I clash against Norway.
Assistant coach Guy Stephan took charge of the squad, a decision made in agreement with FFF president Philippe Diallo, and oversaw France’s 4-1 thrashing on a much-changed Norway side on Thursday, in which Ousmane Dembele bagged a hat-trick.
But the FFF have now confirmed that Deschamps is back with the squad, posting on social media: “Didier is with us.”
France had already secured qualification for the knockout stage of the tournament before Deschamps departed, having comfortably beaten Senegal 3-1 and Iraq 3-0 in their opening two matches, and sealed top spot of the group with their win over Norway.
Deschamps is set to leave his role as France head coach after the World Cup having been in charge of the national team since 2012.
He was the France captain when they won the World Cup on home soil in 1998, and has had a successful 14-year reign on the touchline.
The standout moment came in 2018 when he led France to their second World Cup triumph following a 4-2 win over Croatia in the final in Russia.
With Deschamps at the helm, France have also reached two further finals at Euro 2016 and the 2022 World Cup.
They lost the former against Portugal 1-0 after extra time, while they were beaten on penalties by Argentina four years ago.
They will hope to go one better this time around, and have made a strong start as they chase down a third World Cup triumph.
Additional reporting from Reuters
