French FA say Adrien Rabiot’s mother messed up his chances of a return to international set-up
PSG outcast Adrien Rabiot remains “a long way off” a recall to the France international set-up due to his mother’s over-involvement, according to the country’s Football Federation president.
Rabiot has been out of contention for the France squad since refusing to be on standby for the 2018 World Cup back in May.
Why is Rabiot out of the France squad? Five key things to know…
- Rabiot was not selected for France’s final 23-man squad for the World Cup.
- He was placed on the reserve list by manager Didier Deschamps but declined the opportunity.
- Deschamps subsequently hit out at Rabiot’s decision, calling it a “massive mistake”, and has not picked him since.
- French FA president, Noel Le Graet, has now revealed he has offered Rabiot the chance to meet up and resolve the situation.
- However, Rabiot’s mother has refused to allow the midfielder to discuss matters alone, according to Le Graet.
https://audioboom.com/posts/7205446-man-utd-need-to-sign-england-s-duel-master
The 23-year-old has amassed six international caps for Les Bleus but has been cast aside by manager Didier Deschamps, who slammed the midfielder in the immediate aftermath of his decision.
There were rumours the PSG player had been suspended, but French FA president Noel Le Graet has since denied those claims, revealing how his door has been open to Rabiot, but the player’s mother has messed up the chances of a meeting between the pair.
“I haven’t suspended him. If the coach wants to take him, he absolutely can do that. But that day is still a long way off,” Le Graet told L’Equipe.
“I approached Adrien for him to come and explain himself in my office.
“And it’s Madame Rabiot [the player’s mother and agent] who answered by saying that she wanted to first come alone to the meeting.
“I told her there was no chance, not even in a dream. It was after he had declined to be a reserve for the World Cup.
“There was a second contact where she told us that this time she would come with her son.
“It wasn’t what I wanted, so there was no meeting. I wanted to tell him that he was too young to fall out with the France team. But that didn’t happen, and it’s a shame.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xa_EdMMm-Lc
Subscribe to Squawka’s Youtube channel here.
Problems in Paris
Rabiot’s problems stretch far beyond his current exclusion from the France international set-up as his days with PSG appear numbered.
The midfield playmaker has refused to sign a new contract with the Ligue 1 giants and looks set to leave the club this summer upon the expiration of his current deal.
As such, Rabiot has been phased out by the French club and has mustered just 20 appearances across all competitions this season, with his last outing coming at the start of December.
His mother – and agent – Veronique Rabiot has now claimed the midfielder is being held prisoner by the Parisians.
“My son is a prisoner at PSG,” she said.
“The only thing he (Rabiot) has asked is to complete his contract and that it is respected.
“They fined him for not travelling to Qatar when his grandmother died and his father was dying. He is a hostage.
“At PSG they fine players for arriving six minutes late to a team meeting (which happened to Rabiot before the match against Marseille) and others, while injured, are allowed to travel around the world and go to carnivals.”
