Didier Deschamps has spent the build-up to France vs Morocco dealing with more than one problem. FIFA upheld Michael Olise's yellow card, Kylian Mbappé has faced racist abuse, and France still have to keep their minds on a quarter-final they have not yet played.
Olise's yellow card stays in place
Deschamps confirmed on Wednesday that FIFA had maintained Olise's booking. The midfielder was booked in the 97th minute of France's victory over Paraguay after an altercation with Matías Galarza, and the French federation appealed after video replays appeared to show Olise merely grasping Galarza's jersey before he toppled.
Deschamps did not dress that up. "There was no change when it comes to Olise's yellow card. We received FIFA's decision this morning that the yellow card was maintained," he said.
That leaves France with a straightforward reality for the quarter-final. The appeal is gone, and the booking stands.
Mbappe stays central to France's mood
Deschamps also pushed back on the idea that the off-field noise has unsettled his captain. On Mbappé, he said: "Kylian is in a good mental state. Something happened that I don't want to go into. He's a very strong guy mentally. He's focused on tomorrow's match, which will be tough because they are two quality teams. Kylian is doing well, like the rest of the group. He's ready for tomorrow."
That matters because France have leaned on him all tournament. Mbappé has 7 goals, joint-second in the scoring chart, and he is only 1 behind Lionel Messi on 8. He also posted a 9.6 rating against Paraguay.
The abuse aimed at him by Paraguayan senator Celeste Amarilla prompted public condemnation and a strong response from the France camp. Deschamps' job is to stop that becoming the story around Morocco, and he has been blunt about where his team's attention should sit.
"I trust the refereeing. Some refereeing decisions may lead to discussions. It really depends on everyone's opinion. Our opponent is Morocco, not the referee. The referee is there to apply fairly the laws of the game," he said.
France still have a live football reason to stay calm. They have won 5 straight World Cup matches, while Morocco arrive unbeaten in 4 of their last 5 World Cup games and fresh from beating Canada 3-0. That is a proper quarter-final test, not a backdrop.
Deschamps also has one more watch item in the squad, with Aurélien Tchouaméni still a late fitness concern. For now, though, the main task is simpler: keep France's head on France vs Morocco and let the noise sit outside the camp.
Written by Sam Whitfield with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 3 outlets. How we work →