French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo is being panned over a cartoon of Didier Deschamps.
The 2018 World Cup-winning coach won’t be present for tonight’s match against Norway as he has travelled back to France for his mother’s funeral.
The news is unsurprisingly the biggest in the country, and Charlie Hebdo’s reaction wasn’t exactly tasteful.
The magazine drew Deschamps lifting an urn over his head as if it was the World Cup, and it has ‘Maman’ [mother] written on it.
The caption reads: “Didier Deschamps brings the cup home,” which is a reference to the song “Bring the cup home” by Vegedream which became popular in France during his 2018 success.
Reactions against the image have been strong from fans online, and also from official sources.
“This cartoon isn’t funny,” reacted Antoine Léaument, a member of parliament for La France Insoumise.
“You have to be insensitive to the pain of others to laugh at it.
“Didier Deschamps isn’t just a public figure: he’s a grieving son.”
Karim Bouamrane, mayor of Saint-Ouen wrote: “This is indecency at its peak.
“This cartoonist, besides not being funny, is a disgrace to our country. I will always condemn disrespect, insults, and vulgarity.”
Deschamps absence confirmed
Deschamps won’t be present for the final group game against Norway for an already-qualified France.
“Didier Deschamps will be unable to lead training sessions before the Norway-France match,” a statement from the national team read.
“He will also be unable to be on the bench on Friday for the final Group I match.
“The national coach was saddened to learn this morning of the passing of his mother.
“He will return to France to attend her funeral. In agreement with Philippe Diallo, the president of the French Football Federation, who is present at the French team’s training camp, Didier Deschamps has entrusted his assistant, Guy Stéphan, with the responsibility of leading the squad until his return.”
Deschamps is expected to return to the France training camp on Saturday.
His squad held a moment of silence for his late mother, which Kylian Mbappe posted on social media.
He wrote in a caption: “All our thoughts are with our coach and his entire family. You are not alone.”
Aurelien Tchouameni was given media duties ahead of the Norway match and also paid tribute.
“On behalf of the entire French team, the French family, we send our condolences to the coach and his entourage,” he said.
“It’s a complicated time for everyone. We tried to make things normal but we have a mission and we want to make him proud.
“When the coach left, he gave us a mission, to the staff as well as to the players.
“Guy will be in line with what the coach is asking us to do. We will continue to respect the principles of play that are ours.
“Guy is a very open person who likes to play a lot. We are convinced that we will put all the ingredients to win.”
Stand-in coach Stéphan added: “I have a very strong thought for Didier and his family.
“He is very affected. I have a lot of exchanges with him; I had it again a few minutes ago.
“I will try to make this situation as normal as possible. Very quickly, he asked me to lead the group until Saturday, or during the night from Friday to Saturday. I will try to prove myself worthy of the trust he has placed in me.”
Charlie Hebdo explained
Charlie Hebdo is a weekly satirical magazine in France that mocks public figures, often in the form of cartoons.
The Paris outlet made headlines across the globe in 2015 after a depiction of the prophet Muhammad.
12 people were killed in a terrorist attack on company offices, which have been targeted on two other occasions.
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