- Her withdrawal has led to a string of others
- Players call for a change in management
France women’s captain Wendie Renard had plans afoot to withdraw earlier from the national team, a decision she announced on Friday afternoon, only for a timely intervention from her club president Jean-Michel Aulas stopping her from dropping the bombshell, reports L’Équipe.
Renard took a thinly veiled aim at the country’s footballing system for being “far away from the standards required of the highest level”, a statement that prompted further withdrawals with PSG pair of Marie-Antoinette Katoto and Kadidiatou Diani stating the same when siding with their erstwhile captain when they made their own statements.
Now L’Équipe have stunningly revealed that Renard had the intention of making the announcement before last week’s Tournoi de France invitational tournament, but Aulas convinced her to take part.
Les Bleues went on to win the tournament, topping the standings over Denmark, Norway and Uruguay.
The French Football Federation executive board now plan to meet on Tuesday to discuss the sudden exodus, with the future of estranged manager Corinne Diacre’s now under serious consideration.
