Gary Lineker has condemned FIFA's decision to refuse France permission to pay tribute to their manager's mother, who passed away last week. Didier Deschamps was absent from his side's 4-1 victory over Norway on Friday, having attended his mother's funeral, with Guy Stephan stepping in to take charge for the final group stage fixture. While Norway presented Stephan with a bouquet of flowers as a gesture of condolence to Deschamps, FIFA declined to permit France to honour their manager's mother by wearing black armbands during the match.
Lineker's Reaction
That did not sit well with Lineker, who is in North America covering the tournament for The Rest Is Football. He told L'Équipe: "The loss of his mother is a tragedy. It's truly sad, and I still can't believe FIFA didn't allow the players to wear black armbands."
France's Victory and Group Stage Performance
Under Stephan's guidance, France secured their place in the knockout stages of the World Cup in impressive fashion, with Ousmane Dembele claiming a hat-trick and Desire Doue adding a fourth. Although Thelo Aasgaard managed to get on the scoresheet for Norway in the first-half, it proved insufficient to halt their fellow Europeans. It marked Les Bleus' third consecutive victory in Group I, having beaten Senegal 3-1 in their opener before thrashing Iraq 3-0 less than a week later. Consequently, they topped the group and progressed to the round of 32, where they will face Sweden at 8pm on Tuesday, 30 June.
Lineker's Previous Criticism of FIFA
It comes as Lineker has remained a vocal presence while covering the World Cup this summer. The 65-year-old was left bewildered by FIFA's ruling to hand Assim Madibo a five-match ban for a challenge on Ismael Kone that left the Canada midfielder with a broken leg. It was a clumsy tackle from the Qatar star during the tournament co-hosts' 6-0 victory earlier this month, which left Kone requiring immediate surgery after snapping his tibia and fibula. Although Madibo received a red card several minutes after the challenge, FIFA chose to extend his suspension to five matches in the days that followed.
It stands as one of the harshest penalties the organisation has ever imposed on a player. In response, Lineker took to social media to describe the ban as "nonsense" and "absurd." He wrote: "This is a complete nonsense. It was clearly an accidental challenge which should not have even been a red card. He was also heartbroken by the injury to his opponent. Absurd decision."
Injury Update on Ismael Kone
While he will be sidelined for the remainder of the tournament through injury, Canada confirmed that the 24-year-old's operation was a success. They wrote: "Last night, Ismael Kone underwent successful surgery to repair a lower limb fracture. He is expected to make a full recovery but will miss the remainder of the FIFA World Cup 2026." Kone's Italian club Sassuolo also released a statement, which read: "The operation to repair the fracture in his left leg was a complete success. The player will begin his rehabilitation programme in the coming days. The whole club sends Ismael their best wishes for a speedy recovery."
