PARIS: Paris Saint-Germain on Sunday criticized the “serious and avoidable” injuries suffered by Ousmane Dembele and Desire Doue while on international duty with the France national team.
After the PSG stars were both forced off during France’s 2026 World Cup qualifying win over Ukraine on Friday, their club sent a letter to the French Football Federation (FFF) requesting better “medical and sporting coordination between clubs and the national team.”
PSG, who will be without a hamstrung Dembele for around six weeks and Doue for some four weeks with a calf issue, are “urgently requesting a new protocol... that is more transparent and collaborative” regarding player health, they announced in a statement on their website Sunday.
The European champions said they “had provided the FFF with concrete medical information, even before the French team gathered, on the acceptable workload and injury risks for their players.”
PSG added they “regret that these medical recommendations were not taken into account by the (national team) medical staff,” as well as criticizing “the total lack of consultation with their medical teams.”
The club reaffirmed their commitment to Les Bleus, but added the “serious and avoidable incidents” must serve as a catalyst for change, particularly in the case of players “underdoing treatment for a medical issue.”
“(PSG) hope 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 staff of clubs and the national team,” they said.
France coach Didier Deschamps said he sympathized with the French Ligue 1 champions’ complaints.
“If I were at a club, I would feel the same way,” he said, before adding: “There is no such thing as zero risk. If you leave players on the bench, you’re not taking any risks...”
The 2018 World Cup winning coach went on to defend Les Bleus’ practices.
He cited the examples of William Saliba and Rayan Cherki, of Arsenal and Manchester City respectively, whose pre-existing injuries had been announced by their clubs and who Deschamps allowed to stay at home.
“The protocol stipulates that they must come and have their injuries assessed on Monday morning (at the national team’s training camp),” he said. “I didn’t make them come.”
Deschamps also added he takes “the player’s feelings” into account when deciding to play them.
Dembele and Doue will miss PSG’s first domestic match after the international break, as well as the start of their Champions League defense at home to Atalanta on September 17.
The pair will also be doubts for the trip to Barcelona in the league phase of Europe’s top club competition at the start of October.
Following a short pre-season after playing key roles in PSG’s run to the Club World Cup final in July, Dembele and Doue had appeared in all three of the Parisian club’s Ligue 1 outings before the international break.
PSG call for change after Dembele and Doue international duty injuries
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PSG call for change after Dembele and Doue international duty injuries
- Club writes French Football Federation requesting better “medical and sporting coordination between clubs and the national team”
- PSG will be without a hamstrung Dembele for around six weeks and Doue for some four weeks with a calf issue
Karl and Gnabry spark Bayern to comeback win over Sporting
- Gnabry set up defender Jonathan Tah for a late goal to ensure Bayern claimed all three points
- Karl became the youngest player to score in three consecutive Champions League games
MUNICH: Revitalized striker Serge Gnabry and teenage forward Lennart Karl helped inspire Bayern Munich to a come-from-behind 3-1 home win over Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League on Tuesday.
With Bayern trailing to a Joshua Kimmich own-goal midway through the second half and staring down the barrel of a second-successive European loss, Gnabry and Karl scored in quick succession to wrestle the match in Bayern’s favor.
Gnabry set up defender Jonathan Tah for a late goal to ensure Bayern claimed all three points and rose to second in the league phase standings, behind Arsenal on goal difference.
“The first 10 minutes of the second half weren’t very good, but we stayed calm,” Bayern coach Vincent Kompany told DAZN.
“We have done our job well so far and we want to see it through to the end.”
The top 24 sides make it through to the knockout rounds, with the top eight qualifying for the last 16 directly.
Karl became the youngest player to score in three consecutive Champions League games, beating the record previously held by Kylian Mbappe.
“To be in the Champions League at the age of 17 is something very, very special for me,” Karl told DAZN. “I’m proud of myself — and of the team.”
Despite the loss, the Portuguese champions sit ninth in the 36-team table with two games remaining.
- Seven changes for Bayern -
Kompany made seven changes to his starting XI, recalling Harry Kane, Gnabry, Karl, Manuel Neuer and Tah who were rested on Saturday against Stuttgart with Sporting’s visit in mind.
Bayern have scored more goals than any other club in Europe’s top-five leagues this season and went agonizingly close several times in the opening half.
Karl’s fifth-minute goal was ruled out for offside and Kane hit the post on the half-hour mark. Kane, Karl and Gnabry all forced Sporting goalkeeper Rui Silva into acrobatic stops before the break.
Sporting’s best chance in the opening half came when Geny Catamo put in a cross which Tah almost guided into his own net, forcing Neuer into a reflex save.
Some more Bayern friendly fire put Sporting in front early in the second period, with Neuer this time helpless as Kimmich deflected a Joao Simoes cross in with 54 minutes gone.
The goal jolted Bayern into gear and the German champions soon struck back to take the lead with two goals in four minutes.
Unmarked at the back post, Gnabry tapped in a Michael Olize corner to level things up. Karl latched onto a Konrad Laimer pass before blasting in on the turn from a tight angle.
With 13 minutes remaining, Kimmich and Tah made good on their defensive errors by combining for Bayern’s third, with a little help from Gnabry.
Kimmich looped in a dipping cross to Gnabry, who headed centrally for Tah to poke home.
With three minutes remaining, Kompany withdrew Gnabry and brought Alphonso Davies onto the pitch, the Canada captain playing his first match since tearing his ACL in March.
