France head coach Didier Deschamps misses France’s World Cup group-stage match against Norway after returning to France to attend his mother’s funeral. Multiple reports say he leaves the team setup ahead of the fixture, including missing training sessions and not being present on the touchline for the match. France’s bereavement is linked to his mother’s death, which he learns about during the tournament period after France’s earlier win over Iraq secured qualification to the knockout stage.
Reports also describe assistant coach Guy Stéphan taking charge of the team while Deschamps is away. France’s campaign has already advanced from the group stage, so the coach’s absence is reported as affecting day-to-day matchday leadership rather than qualification. One outlet additionally reports that France’s request to mark the occasion with black armbands was turned down by FIFA, which had already allocated a separate pre-match tribute related to victims of an earthquake in Venezuela. After attending the funeral, Deschamps is reported to return to the team’s World Cup camp in time for France’s next match.
