In an official statement issued by the club, Real Madrid have hit out at French Football Federation President Noel Le Graet after his comments against Zinedine Zidane.
The former Real Madrid and France icon was in contention to be named the manager of the national team, but the FFF decided to renew Didier Deschamps instead. Following that reports emerged claiming Zidane could manage Brazil after being snubbed by Les Bleus.
In response to that, Le Graet said (h/t Guardian): “I don’t give a damn, he can go wherever he wants. I know very well that Zidane was always on the radar. He had a lot of supporters; some were waiting for Deschamps’s departure … But who can make serious reproaches to Deschamps? Nobody.
“He [Zidane] does what he wants; it’s none of my business. I’ve never met him, we’ve never considered parting with Didier. He can go where he wants, to a club … If Zidane tried to contact me? Certainly not, I wouldn’t even pick up the phone.”
Soon after these comments emerged PSG and France star and long-term Real Madrid target Kylian Mbappe had criticised the FFF president for disrespecting a legend like Zidane.
Now, Los Blancos have also issued a statement, which reads as follows: “Real Madrid CF regrets the unfortunate statements made by the president of the French Football Federation, Nöel Le Graët, about Zinedine Zidane, one of the greatest legends of world sport.”
Stating that Le Graet’s words demonstrate a lack of respect towards Zidane and what he means to the game, Real Madrid stated that they want the FFF President to rectify his statements.
“Zinedine Zidane, world champion and European champion defending his country’s jersey, among many other titles, represents the values of sport and has demonstrated this throughout his professional career as a player and as a coach.”
On top of that, Real Madrid also criticised Le Graet for his statements on current Real Madrid captain Karim Benzema as well, saying:
“The statements by the president of the French Football Federation are inappropriate for someone who holds that representation and disqualify themselves, like the ones he also makes about our captain Karim Benzema, current Ballon d’Or, champion of the League of Nations with France in 2021 and winner of 5 Champions League, among many other titles.”
With Zidane gathering a wave of support, it will be interesting to see how Le Graet responds after his ill-advised comments against one of the greatest footballer of all time.
Source: madriduniversal.com
