Paris Saint-Germain has sent an official letter to FIFA regarding the medical management of the French national team, according to L’Équipe. The Parisian leadership, worried about their players, is considering rallying other clubs on this sensitive issue. The president of the French Football Federation (FFF), Philippe Diallo (62), is expected to respond to this letter soon.
“Another letter was sent to FIFA. The Parisian leaders know that by directly targeting the medical staff led by Le Gall, they could potentially rally other clubs to their cause. In recent years, several teams, especially abroad, have expressed regret about the handling of certain cases with the French national team.
The confusion surrounding Karim Benzema’s thigh injury before the 2022 World Cup certainly didn’t help boost the popularity of the medical staff working alongside Didier Deschamps since 2012. In the face of PSG’s offensive, the French staff, busy preparing for their second World Cup qualifier on Tuesday against Iceland, did not want to ‘fuel’ an ‘unnecessary’ controversy.”
FFF president Philippe Diallo – who declined our request for an interview – is the recipient of PSG’s letter. He is expected to reply, but does not wish to escalate the debate through the media. As things stand, there has been no exchange between the head of the FFF and PSG president Nasser al-Khelaïfi, nor any dialogue yesterday between the two parties more broadly.
PSG has chosen an aggressive strategy by directly questioning the medical management of the French national team. Behind this move lies a desire to open a collective front: by challenging Les Bleus’ staff head-on, Paris knows that other European clubs, facing similar issues with their internationals, could join the fight. Ousmane Dembélé’s recent injury has only heightened concerns in Paris.
The decision to appeal to FIFA is no coincidence: it places the debate at a higher institutional level, beyond the usual dialogue between club and federation. At the same time, it reflects a club defending its own interests in the ongoing battle between national teams and clubs. Who will have the last word? As long as money remains the driving force, chances are slim that things will change drastically.
