France coach Didier Deschamps has insisted the national team are not at war with Paris St Germain after the club hit out over injuries to two key players.
PSG pair Ousmane Dembele and Desire Doue face lay-offs of six and four weeks respectively after sustaining problems in Les Bleus’ opening World Cup qualifying win in Ukraine on Friday.
The Champions League winners issued a statement on Sunday accusing the France set-up of ignoring “concrete medical information” they had provided “on the workload its players could bear and the risk of injury”.
Dembele lasted 36 minutes as a second-half substitute during the 2-0 victory before being withdrawn with a hamstring problem and Doue was taken off at half-time with a calf strain.
The duo will now miss the start of PSG’s European title defence, including a trip to Barcelona on October 1.
The issue has overshadowed the build-up to France’s next Group D outing against Iceland at PSG’s Parc des Princes on Tuesday.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference, Deschamps said: “What happened is what happened.
“I’m especially sad for Ousmane and ‘Dez’, for the injuries and because we’re losing two important players.
“We did things in a professional, progressive way, as we do with every player, taking into account their feelings.
“Unfortunately, it happened and it concerns two PSG players.
“PSG is not our opponent, never has been, even if we have interests that may diverge and that’s normal. Our only opponent is Iceland and that’s tomorrow.”
Asked if the matter would make him hesitant to select another PSG player in Bradley Barcola, Deschamps added: “I’m the one who makes the decisions, I have my staff, my responsibilities.”
Deschamps has called up former Bayern Munich forward Kingsley Coman, who now plays for Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia, to bolster his squad.
They face an Iceland side who opened their qualifying campaign with a 5-0 win in Azerbaijan.
Deschamps is likely to make further changes for the game.
Le Paris Saint-Germain appelle à la mise en place d’un nouveau protocole de coordination médico-sportive entre clubs et sélection nationale. ⤵️
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_inside) September 7, 2025
He said: “My main concern is to see what condition the players are in.
“Changes, yes, it’s likely. Freshness is important, while maintaining what has been done well.
“Iceland have evolved, with a much less direct game. They have evolved in their ability to get out on the ground and build up moves.
“We’re going to have a great battle ahead of us.”
