Real Madrid have joined others who have condemned FFF president Noel Le Graet's "lack of respect" for Zinedine Zidane.
The president of the French Football Federation has stated that he never spoke to Les Bleus hero Zinedine Zidane about becoming national team coach following a runner-up result at the 2022 World Cup, and that he would have turned down any approach from the former Ballon d'Or winner. RMC Sport quoted Le Graet as saying:
“Zinedine Zidane in Brazil? I don't care, he can go where he wants! Did Zidane tried to reach me? Certainly not, I wouldn't even have picked up the phone anyway. I've never met him, we never considered parting with Didier [Deschamps].”
On the basis of that comment, Paris Saint-Germain starlet Kylian Mbappe was quick to call out the FFF president, as he replied to an apparent show of "disrespect" of a national icon, and Real Madrid have now placed in a statement on the club's official website:
“Real Madrid C. F. laments the unfortunate comments made by the president of the French Football Federation, Noel Le Graet, regarding Zinedine Zidane, one of the world's biggest sporting legends.
“These remarks show a lack of respect for one of the most admired figures by football fans around the world and our club is awaiting an immediate correction. Zinedine Zidane, World and European champion representing his country, amongst many other honours, he embodies the values of the sport and has proven this throughout his professional career as a player and as a coach. The statements by the president of the French Football Federation are inappropriate for someone holding such representation and are in themselves unsuitable, like those he also made about our captain Karim Benzema, current Ballon d'Or, Nations League champion with France in 2021 and winner of 5 Champions Leagues, amongst many other honours.”
Le Graet – who branded Benzema a “donkey” during an infamous legal dispute with former France team-mate Mathieu Valbuena - has apologised for his “clumsy” comments on Zidane, saying in a statement released through the FFF: “I would like to apologise for these remarks which absolutely do not reflect my thoughts, nor my consideration for the player he was and the coach he has become.”
Zidane – who spent five years with Real Madrid as a player before going on to oversee three Champions League triumphs and two La Liga title successes across two stints as coach – has been out of work since leaving Santiago Bernabeu at the end of the 2020-21 campaign.
Source: goal.com
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