October 27, 2022
The brief from today:
Deschamps sets his standard
As the list of injured French players has steadily grown before the World Cup, there were question marks over how much leeway France coach, Didier Deschamps, would give his most influential squad members with their recoveries. Recent injuries to vice captain, Raphaël Varane, as well as goalkeeper Mike Maignan, combined with the long-standing ailments of players like: Presnel Kimpembe and Paul Pogba mean they all face a race against time to make the World Cup team. It was thought that since each player—except Maignan—contributed to France’s 2018 World Cup victory, Deschamps would include them even if it meant they might miss the first couple of matches. Today, the French manager dispelled such notions when he told French media that, “It’s absolutely clear, I’ve never embarked on a big competition with an injured player.” He cited the media scrutiny that follows such gambles, as well as the increased focus and attention such players receive from the medical staff, which can somewhat neglect the rest of the squad’s recovery after training and matches. Deschamps did make it clear that his primary concern is a full recovery from injury, but regarding match fitness, that isn’t a factor that would preclude players from being selected. This will be positive news especially for Pogba as he is the one who has been out longest, but is also due to return within the coming weeks for his club, Juventus. As for the rest, and anyone else between now and the squad announcement, the coach has now made his standards clear.
Didier Deschamps has made it clear he won’t be gambling with his World Cup squad selection
2025 AFCON hosting bids face deadline
Following the AFCON earlier this year in Cameroon, the 2023 edition, scheduled to take place in early 2024, will be played in Ivory Coast. The location of the 2025 AFCON was also already confirmed as Guinea, but the political situation and unrest in the country, coupled with subpar facilities and infrastructure, resulted in the Confederation of African Football (CAF) stripping them of hosting duties. As a result, CAF is now is now searching for a new location, and they have set some deadlines for interested nations. The first date to take note of is November 11—the cutoff for bidding nations to declare their intent to host. Countries that express their desire to host the tournament will then have to submit paperwork that includes: their finalized bid, government guarantees, and the various cities matches will take place in by December 16. The next step in the process will take place throughout January when CAF representatives will tour the various nations. These visits are meant to inspect the current state of facilities plus any future enhancements that could be made. It is during this due diligence that Guinea’s hosting privileges were ultimately revoked so other countries will have to aim to impress the dignitaries. Once this concludes, the reports will go to CAF’s executive committee who will finally announce their decision on February 10. There have been speculative reports about which countries are interested, but the one gaining traction is Morocco’s potential bid. The North African country hosted the Women’s AFCON three months ago, and they are now seriously considering applying for the men’s edition. It won’t be long now before it’s officially known which countries are stepping forward considering the November 11 deadline is just over two weeks away.
CAF President, Patrice Motsepe, and the executive committee have some decisions to make by February