New Delhi: Kylian Mbappe appeared in the French team’s light training session on Thursday wearing a protective mask in the French colours of blue, white, and red. Mbappe broke his nose in France’s opening 1-0 victory over Austria after colliding with Austrian defender Kevin Danso and remains doubtful for tonight’s clash against the Netherlands.
During the training session, Mbappe maintained distance from his teammates while wearing a plaster on his nose. The Real Madrid forward is fast-tracking his return to the pitch, a promising sign for his fans.
The French Football Federation (FFF) has said that Mbappe won’t require any operation despite the injury and can return to the field with the mask.
Why Mbappe can’t wear a France face mask?
The face mask Mbappe was spotted wearing goes against the regulations of UEFA, the European football governing body. A portion of UEFA’s rules on clothing and other equipment worn whilst playing. The UEFA regulation states, “Medical equipment worn on the field of play must be a single colour and free of team and manufacturer identification.”
According to media reports, FFF has said that quite a few masks have been prepared for Mbappe to wear in the game in different sizes to feature a single colour that can be used under the UEFA’s guidelines and are available for use.
French coach Didier Deschamps updated reporters ahead of the Group clash D in Leipzig and has said that the striker is making good progress and is hopeful of taking the field against the Netherlands.
However, media sources have reported that the 25-year-old will only be named on the bench and will most likely not feature in the French playing XI until their final group game against Poland.
A blockbuster match on the cards
France and Netherlands are on equal points in Group D. The Dutch came from behind to beat Poland 2-1 in their opening game. Les Bleus, on the other hand, beat Austria courtesy of an own goal. The French team overall have beaten the Netherlands 16 times previously, including seven victories in the last eight clashes.
France have been champions twice in the Euros but have failed to repeat their success in more than two decades. However, they have failed to reach the knockouts only once in six Euros. The 2020 Euros saw Les Bleus exit the tournament from the first round of knockouts.
France are one of the strongest units full of superstars who can feature in the tournament’s final stages and will be favourites to win the silverware for the third time. But for that to happen, they need their skipper and talisman fit and fine.
Euro 2024: Kylian Mbappe was seen spotted wearing face gear in the colour of French Flag to protect his nose injury. But he won’t be able to wear the same gear in the match. Know why. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
