French federation head apologizes after uproar over Zidane

By JOHN LEICESTER
Associated Press

LE PECQ, France (AP) — The president of France’s football federation has apologized after Kylian Mbappé, the French sports minister and Real Madrid all took him to task for brusque comments that he “couldn’t care less” about Zinédine Zidane’s future as a coach. Noël Le Graët says his comments in a radio interview were “clumsy” and “absolutely don’t reflect my thinking.” Le Graët’s apology has been widely reported in French media. Le Graët recently extended France coach Didier Deschamps’ contract until July 2026. Le Graët was a guest on RMC radio’s talk show on Sunday. He was asked about rumors linking Zidane to Brazil’s national team.