Several France players have caught colds, the French Football Federation said, as they prepare for the World Cup final against Argentina, with Raphael Varane and Ibrahima Konate the latest to fall ill on Friday.
Centre back Dayot Upamecano and midfielder Adrien Rabiot missed Wednesdayโs 2-0 semi-final win over Morocco with the illness, but coach Didier Deschamps refused to panic.
โWe donโt worry about illnesses. In the past few days the temperatures in Qatar have fallen a little bit, the air-conditioning is on and we have cases of flu-like symptoms and weโre careful it doesnโt spread,โ he said on Wednesday.
โPlayers have made great efforts on the pitch and suffered immediately after the match, the body is weakened and youโre more prone to be infected by these viruses. Weโre taking necessary precautions.โ
Striker Randal Kolo Muani, who came off the bench to score Franceโs second goal in their win over Morocco, said on Friday: โThereโs a little flu thatโs been spreading but nothing serious. Theyโll be well soon and be ready for Sunday.โ
A French press officer added: โAs you know, Randal is not a doctor, we will communicate about it later.โ
Deschamps was confident both Upamecano and Rabiot would be fit for Sundayโs showdown at the Lusail Stadium.
โDayot will be fit. Since Saturday he wasnโt well for three days โฆ had a fever and that had an impact on his strength,โ he said.
โGiven the tough match we had I decided not to play him and play Konate instead as heโs shown heโs good enough to play at this level.
โRabiot was sick, was better this afternoon but not well enough so he stayed in the hotel. We have four days to rest so he should be better and available for Sunday.โ
Should Konate and Varane be out, however, Deschamps would face a difficult selection decision, as he would be without two of his top three defenders.
