PSG call for clear medical protocol with the French Football Federation

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·7 September 2025

PSG call for clear medical protocol with the French Football Federation

After confirming the injuries of Ousmane Dembélé (28 years old) and Désiré Doué (19 years old), Paris Saint-Germain issued an official statement targeting the French Football Federation. The Parisian club criticizes the French team's medical staff for ignoring its recommendations and calls for the establishment of a more transparent and collaborative medical-sport protocol to prioritize player health.

“Making player health and their medical support an absolute priority”

“Following the confirmation of injuries to its players called up to the French team, Ousmane Dembélé and Désiré Doué – with significant sporting consequences for the players and the club – Paris Saint-Germain sent a letter to the French Football Federation urgently calling for a new medical-sport coordination protocol between clubs and the national team, more transparent and collaborative, to make player health and their medical support an absolute priority.

“The club regrets that these medical recommendations were not taken into account by the French team’s medical staff”

Paris Saint-Germain, which medically monitors its players throughout the year and possesses precise and detailed information, had provided the Federation with concrete medical elements, even before the French team’s gathering, regarding the manageable workload and injury risks of its players. The club regrets that these medical recommendations were not considered by the French team’s medical staff and the complete lack of consultation and collaboration with its medical teams.

“The recently occurred events, serious and avoidable”

Paris Saint-Germain, which wishes to reaffirm its commitment to the federal mission and the French team, whose influence is a fully shared objective, hopes that these regrettable events will pave the way for the establishment of a new formalized framework for medical coordination, ensuring systematic, documented, and reciprocal exchanges between the medical staffs of clubs and the national team, as well as adherence to a reinforced precautionary principle in the call-up and use of players, especially when they have an ongoing condition being treated. The recently occurred events, serious and avoidable, must lead to rapid and immediate corrective measures. The Club stands ready to actively contribute to this collective effort, in the interest of the players and all professional football.”

PSG’s statement marks a turning point in the often tense relations between clubs and national teams. Paris claims to have provided, even before the French team’s gathering, precise data on its players' workload. However, according to the club, these warnings were not heeded, resulting in “serious and avoidable” injuries.

Video OneFootball

The statement, beyond the cases of Dembélé and Doué, highlights a recurring issue: the management of international players’ fitness, often subjected to an overloaded schedule. For PSG, it is not just about protecting its own sporting interests but also about opening the debate on enhanced medical coordination, which would benefit all of French football. The issue thus goes beyond the controversy: it touches on the model of collaboration between clubs and federations in modern football, where players’ bodies are pushed to the extreme.

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