France/Iraq – ‘We played cards’, Deschamps reacts to long delay

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·23 de junio de 2026

France/Iraq – ‘We played cards’, Deschamps reacts to long delay

Didier Deschamps, head coach of the France national team, spoke to M6 after the 3-0 win against Iraq on Monday night on Matchday 2 of the 2026 World Cup (video highlights France/Iraq). The coach was notably asked about the exceptional 2-hour break at halftime because of a storm.

Deschamps: “We were waiting. Our time slots kept getting pushed back.”

Didier, what did you do in the dressing room during the long two-hour interruption? “We played cards (ironically). We were waiting. Our time slots kept getting pushed back. With my colleague Graham (Arnold, Iraq head coach) opposite me, we wanted to have 20 minutes to warm up so as not to take any risks. The water also had to be cleared away. It’s the first time this has happened to me, and I hope it’s the last too, even though I know that risk exists. It was long, between the start and the end of the match, especially since we play again in four days. The main thing is done with qualification (for the Round of 32).

Deschamps: “It’s a matter of safety, I don’t blame anyone”

You seem a little annoyed… “No, I’m not annoyed, we were calm, I was joking with the players. It’s a matter of safety, I don’t blame anyone, that’s how it is, you can’t fight against the weather. We respect the local rules whenever there is a risk. It doesn’t make me angry. These are special circumstances, I hope it won’t happen again. We’ll get back later tonight (Monday), and we will certainly postpone the scheduled training session. I’d rather go back tonight so the players can sleep at the base camp.”, remarks relayed by La Dépêche.

It is easy enough to imagine that the wait was hard for those involved in the match. It was for the supporters, of course, but it was even more difficult to manage with a second half still to prepare for. Both in terms of concentration and in avoiding injuries when play resumed. In fact, on the first point, we saw Iraq rather foolishly concede the 2-0 with a bad pass from a goal kick.

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Now, Deschamps rightly emphasizes the main thing: safety. Caution was needed and they had to wait. It was an unusual situation, but far preferable to an incident. Even if it also had consequences for post-match recovery. It is up to the staff to find the best solutions in order to prepare for what comes next. Which means Norway this Friday in a battle for first place.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇫🇷 here.