France head coach Didier Deschamps revealed he was “devastated” by his mother’s death, saying returning to the World Cup squad helped him cope with the loss.
The 57-year-old briefly left France’s training camp in the United States to be with his family before rejoining the squad ahead of their Round of 32 clash against Sweden.
Deschamps reflects on the personal loss
Speaking ahead of the knockout game, Deschamps admitted the past few days had been emotionally challenging, but said returning to coaching duties had helped him focus.
“How am I? I’m fine. Obviously I had complicated days where I was devastated,” Deschamps told M6.
“But for my personal well-being and the well-being of the French team, I had to leave. After that, they did what was necessary.”
The France coach said preparations for the next stage of the tournament gave him something to focus on while grieving.
“Since I’ve been back, I’ve been back to this preparation for this game against Sweden. It’s good to have my head occupied.”
France is building momentum for the knockout stage
In Deschamps’ absence, his coaching staff guided France to a 4-1 win over Norway, completing a perfect group stage campaign with three wins from three games.
The former France captain praised his players for achieving their first goal of the championship.
“It was our goal to win this first place. Having this win with nine points, even if it doesn’t give a bonus, we never did,” he said.
“It’s always good to win games. The first goal has been achieved.”
France advanced to the knockout stages with maximum points from Group I and will face Sweden as they continue their bid for a third World Cup title.
Deschamps, who has been in charge of France since 2012, has guided the team to success at the 2018 World Cup and another finals appearance in 2022.
With his contract set to expire next month, he will be hoping to finish his tenure by leading Les Bleus to another world title.
