‘FIFA will hopefully fine them’: France players face criticism for behavior after World Cup loss
France’s Kylian Mbappe with teammates look dejected after the match as France are eliminated from the World Cup IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters/Tim Heitman
After a dominant run through the World Cup, France suffered a surprising shutout loss to Spain in the semifinal, and the team is now facing criticism for its behavior after the disappointing showing.
France entered the 2026 FIFA World Cup as the tournament favorite to claim another title, and it certainly looked the part during the group stage and the opening four rounds of the knockout phase. Unfortunately for them, that run came to an end in the semifinals, and the players were apparently not in the mood to talk about it after the match.
France’s Dominance
France entered Tuesday’s match with a perfect 6-0 record, winning every match by an average margin of more than two goals, consistently looking like the strongest team in the field.
Heading into Tuesday’s semifinal, the team had yet to concede a single goal in the knockout stage while its attack had been one of the most consistent in the tournament, led by superstar Kylian Mbappé, who is tied with Lionel Messi for the most goals in the World Cup.
France was the preseason favorite to win the tournament, and that remained true heading into Tuesday’s match.
However, the momentum that France had generated throughout the tournament came to a halt against Spain. France not only allowed its first two goals of the knockout rounds, but Mbappé and the rest of the attack were unable to generate any offense, finishing without a goal for the first time during the tournament.
France Refuses to do Interviews
The outcome was unexpected, especially the way France lost. But it was France’s actions after the match that led to some scrutiny.
According to Michael J. Duarte of The California Post, no French players appeared in the media mixed zone following the match as the players were apparently refusing to speak to the media after the loss.
While FIFA does not require every player to speak with reporters after games, teams are expected to make a selection of players available to the media. Duarte reported that France failed to do so.
“All of the French players refused to come through the media mix zone after the match. FIFA will hopefully fine them. None of the French players wanted to talk about the loss to Spain that ended their World Cup,” he wrote in a post on X.
It’s important to note that Mbappé did appear to speak with members of the media in some capacity, as he was quoted in a Reuters report describing France’s performance as “sloppy.” So, it would not be entirely accurate to suggest every French player refused to speak on the loss.
Whether Duarte and other reporters had access to French players is a separate matter. Under FIFA regulations, however, teams are expected to make players available in the mixed zone, and failing to do so can result in disciplinary fines.
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