Charlie Hebdo published a drawing depicting Didier Deschamps lifting a funeral urn bearing the inscription " Mom "To the left of the drawing is this sentence: Didier Deschamps brings the cup home.The drawing is signed Félix and features the image of the coach brandishing a trophy, replacing the Cup with his mother's urn.
Didier Deschamps has left the French national team.
As a reminder, Didier Deschamps learned of his mother's death on Tuesday. The French national team coach left the squad's training camp in the United States to return to France and attend the funeral. The French Football Federation announced that he would not lead training sessions before the Norway-France match and that he would not be on the bench for the final Group I game.
Guy Stéphan on the bench against Norway
In the absence of Didier Deschamps, his assistant Guy Stéphan will take charge for the match against Norway. France has already qualified for the next round of the 2026 World Cup after its first two group victories against Senegal and Iraq.
A minute of silence during training
The French national team players observed a minute's silence during training following the announcement of the death of their coach's mother. The French squad continues its preparations without Didier Deschamps, who has returned to his family.
The drawing sparked a wave of outrage.
The publication of Charlie Hebdo The cartoon immediately sparked numerous hostile reactions on social media. Internet users denounced it as an indecent drawing targeting a man who had recently lost his mother. Several critics also targeted the choice to depict a funeral urn as a trophy, in the context of such recent family bereavement.
Political leaders react
The controversy also spread beyond social media. Karim Bouamrane, the mayor of Saint-Ouen, publicly denounced the cartoon, arguing that it lacked empathy for a bereaved person. Other reactions echoed this sentiment: the freedom to caricature is not contested, but the timing and subject matter of the cartoon are deemed unacceptable by some members of the public.
