The coach of the France team Didier Deschamps filed a complaint for defamation in Paris against the journalist and columnist Daniel Riolo, we learned from a source close to the file on Thursday.
The 54-year-old coach, in charge of the Blues since 2012, took legal action on Wednesday, two days after the end of the France team’s March rally. He filed a complaint with the Paris court, with civil action, according to the same source. He accuses Daniel Riolo, journalist and columnist on RMC radio, of having made defamatory remarks against him on the program After Foot.
“Didier Deschamps has no problem with criticism, even acerbic, but there he is attacked on his probity, his honesty. Mr. Riolo says of him that he is a manipulator, a liar, these are unbearable words, ”reacted his lawyer Isabelle Wekstein, questioned by AFP. She denounced a “permanent relentlessness” of the journalist.
The columnist had notably made offensive remarks towards the coach around the announcement of his contract extension until 2026, in January. “Deschamps lied to us from A to Z, but lying is something he handles perfectly”, he had for example declared on the air in early January about the management of Karim Benzema during the 2022 World Cup.
“I think that (Noël) Le Graët (former president of the Federation) is the puppet of Deschamps”, he also launched on January 8 following controversial statements by the boss of the FFF on Zinédine Zidane, whom he ” would not even have taken the phone” to evoke the position of coach. “If you were a small player and just a water carrier, nobody can do anything about it. Be content with what you have had without pouring out hatred on others, ”he had again insulted him.
Les Bleus de Deschamps have played their first two post-World Cup meetings in recent days, signing two victories against the Netherlands (4-0) and Ireland (1-0). In 2019, Daniel Riolo was temporarily removed from the RMC antenna for inappropriate remarks towards the young woman who had accused Neymar of rape.