FRANCE
Deschamps extends with France till 2020, puts Benzema in doubt
France coach Didier Deschamps has signed a new contract to stay on until 2020, the French Football Federation (FFF) said on Tuesday.
Didier Deschamps has agreed to extend his contract as coach of France until 2020, the president of the French Football Federation announced on Tuesday.
French give full backing to Deschamps
"Didier for me is the best, there is no contest," said Noel Le Graet at a press conference in Paris. "Everyone on the executive committee of the FFF unanimously supports this extension."
The deal will take the 49-year-old Deschamps through to the end of Euro 2020, meaning he will have been in charge for eight years.
The former midfielder, captain of the France side that won the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000, was appointed in 2012 to succeed Laurent Blanc. He took France to the quarter-finals of the 2014 World Cup and then to the final of Euro 2016 on home soil, where they lost in extra time to Portugal.
Les Bleus have also qualified for next year's World Cup in Russia after topping their qualifying group.
More Deschamps, no Benzema?
In what would appear to be excellent news in France, it is likely not such a good message for one player in particular, Karim Benzema. The Real Madrid striker has not played for the national team since the Valbuena Case and the manager has not given any recent hints that the player's exclusion is about to change soon.
With next year's World Cup preparations well underway, Les Blues are not short of forward options. The renewal of Deschamps and the form of players such as Griezmann, Mbappe, Lacazette and Giroud, Benzema's opportunities to put on the famous jersey in Russia may be all but over.
