France national team coach Didier Deschamps has left for his home country, where he will not be present alongside "Les Bleus" in the coming days, and will also be absent from the dugout for the France–Norway match scheduled for Friday in Boston. His assistant Guy Stéphan will temporarily take charge of the team, according to French media reports.
This came the day after the French team's 3-0 victory over Iraq, as the squad received sombre news when the French Football Federation announced in a statement that coach Didier Deschamps learned of his mother's passing on Tuesday morning.
The federation explained that the coach will not be able to oversee training sessions ahead of the France–Norway match, nor will he be on the bench on Friday for the final group-stage fixture. The statement added that Deschamps will return to France to attend the funeral, and that in coordination with federation president Philippe Diallo, his assistant Guy Stéphan has been tasked with leading the team until his return.