Three more French players had to miss training because they felt like they had a cold.
DUHA (AFP): France’s preparations for the World Cup final were thrown off when three more players missed training on Friday because they were sick with cold-like symptoms. This was just two days before France’s match with Argentina.
Raphael Varane, Ibrahima Konate, and Kingsley Coman are all out for Les Bleus as they get ready for Sunday’s final at Doha’s Lusail Stadium against Lionel Messi and Argentina.
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After two players, Adrien Rabiot and Dayot Upamecano, were ruled out of France’s win over Morocco in the semi-final, fears of a mysterious virus grew in the French camp.
On Friday, both Rabiot and Upamecano went back to training.
The French Football Federation (FFF) said that Coman had already missed a training session on Thursday because he had a “light viral syndrome.”
Randal Kolo Muani, a forward for France, tried to downplay the illnesses on Friday.
He said, “There’s a little bit of flu going around, but nothing serious.”
This week, Didier Deschamps, the coach of France, said that the team might be sick because of the cold air conditioning.
“The air conditioning is always on, so a few people have had flu-like symptoms, but we will try to keep it from spreading,” Deschamps said.
“The players work so hard on the field that their immune systems can’t keep up.” “Your body is less strong, and you are more likely to get sick.”
France is trying to become the first team to win back-to-back World Cups since Brazil did it in 1962. Messi, the captain of Argentina, is trying to win the one major title that has eluded him during his long and successful career.
Heavyweights from Europe and South America are going to fight, and people are getting very excited about it. The cheapest tickets on the secondary market are selling for more than $4,000 each.
Protests about tickets
Argentina fans who came to Qatar for the tournament held protests outside a Doha hotel for a second day on Friday. They wanted their country’s national federation to help them find tickets for Sunday’s final.
Cintia Echanis, 51, told AFP that protesters wanted to be able to buy tickets at face value.
“We don’t want any issues.” “We Argentinians want to be able to cheer for our country again,” she said.
The month-long football tournament, which has been called one of the most controversial World Cups in history, will end with Sunday’s final.
On Friday, the president of FIFA, Gianni Infantino, ignored criticism of the event by calling it the “best World Cup ever.”
“The World Cup has been a huge success in every way,” added Infantino.
“The biggest one is the fans, how they act, the happy atmosphere, and how they bring people together.” “The fans meeting people from the Arab world has been very important for all of our futures.”
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Infantino said that the tournament had made more money than expected in the four years leading up to 2022, reaching a record $7.5 billion. This is $1 billion more than in the four years leading up to the 2018 World Cup.
He said that FIFA expected its income to grow to $11 billion in the years leading up to the 2026 tournament, which will have 48 teams instead of 32. The United States, Canada, and Mexico will all be hosting the tournament in 2026.
Infantino said, “We are very confident in the power of football.” “We’re sure that the game will have a huge effect… “It has been a huge deal here, and North America will love it.”
