France were denied permission to wear black armbands in tribute to head coach Didier Deschamps' late mother after FIFA rejected the French Football Federation's request ahead of their World Cup clash with Norway. Deschamps returned to France to attend his mother's funeral, with assistant Guy Stephan taking charge.
France were denied permission to wear black armbands in tribute to head coach Didier Deschamps' late mother after FIFA rejected a request from the French Football Federation (FFF) ahead of their final Group I World Cup clash against Norway.
Deschamps, 57, returned to France earlier this week following the death of his mother and missed Les Bleus' final group-stage fixture as he attends her funeral. Assistant coach Guy Stephan took charge of the team in his absence.
Why did FIFA reject the request?
FIFA declined France's request because it had already designated the pre-match tribute to commemorate the victims of the recent earthquake in Venezuela. The governing body also rejected the FFF's follow-up proposal to allow players to wear black armbands instead, leading to criticism of the decision and leaving France unable to publicly honour Deschamps' personal loss during the match.
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