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Corinne Diacre has been dismissed as head coach of France\u2019s women\u2019s national team four months ahead of the World Cup. The French Football Federation (FFF) announced the news Thursday, saying that the \u201cdysfunctions observed seem\u2026 irreversible.\u201d<\/p>\n Diacre had been the subject of heavy criticism from team veterans for years. Notably, goalkeeper Sarah Bouhaddi announced her retirement in 2020 after citing problems with team management. Gaetene Thiney accused Diacre of using outdated tactics and Thiney was immediately cut from the team. Amandine Henry was an outspoken critic of Diacre and has been snubbed by the national team since 2020 despite continuing to earn accolades at the club level.<\/p>\n The current situation reached a boiling point, however, when captain Wendie Renard<\/a> <\/strong>announced on Feb. 24 that she would not participate in the World Cup because the \u201ccurrent system\u201d was \u201cfar from the requirements of the highest level.\u201d Shortly after Renard\u2019s announcement, Kadidiatou Dianai and Marie-Antoinette Katoto followed Renard\u2019s lead and also declared they would not participate in the upcoming tournament.<\/p>\n Renard and Diacre had previously clashed, with the head coach stripping the defender of her original captaincy after a disappointing 2017 EUROs. Renard eventually reassumed the armband.<\/p>\n Even with the growing player revolt, Diacre\u2019s fate was far from certain. As recently as Wednesday, she vowed to stay as head coach<\/a> and accused her critics of launching a \u201csmear campaign that is astonishing in its violence and dishonesty.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite her defiance, Diacre was more vulnerable than she had ever been in her tenure after key ally No\u00ebl Le Gra\u00ebt resigned as president of the FFF<\/a> at the end of February. Le Gra\u00ebt had long faced his own swirl of scandals including looming allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct and was replaced by interim president Philippe Diallo.<\/p>\n Diallo quickly commissioned a report<\/a> on the situation involving the women\u2019s team. The four members of the commission, including Laura Georges, Aline Riera, Jean-Michel Aulas, and Marc Keller, ultimately determined that the division between coach and players had \u201creached a point of no return\u201d and that Diacre\u2019s tenure should end.<\/p>\n While Diacre\u2019s firing may satisfy top players such as Renard, Diani, and Katoto enough to return, it raises big questions about if France can pull its squad together with only four months left before the World Cup. Les Bleues<\/em> certainly have the talent to be highly competitive<\/a><\/strong>, but it takes time for any new coach to establish their vision, and fractures such as these don\u2019t heal overnight. Players have also raised concerns about the support they\u2019ve received from the federation in general, so while a coaching change was clearly necessary, it also doesn\u2019t cover all their complaints.<\/p>\n Even the FFF\u2019s press release dismissing Diacre condemned the recent action of players, with the executive committee saying, \u201cthe way used by the players to express their criticisms was no longer acceptable in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n Diallo has asked the FFF\u2019s executive committee to immediately begin interviewing candidates to replace Diacre. Rumors are that Paris St-Germaine head coach Gerard Precheur might be in the running along with Herve Renard, the manager of Saudi Arabia\u2019s men\u2019s national team<\/a>.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMichael Chow-USA TODAY Sports<\/span><\/p>\n
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