France head coach Didier Deschamps hit out at a reckless challenge on midfielder Michael Olise during his side’s 3-1 friendly victory over Colombia, describing the incident as potentially career-threatening, Idman.Biz reports.
Speaking after the match, Deschamps expressed his anger over the late tackle, claiming Olise was fortunate to avoid serious injury. “South American teams are known for their intensity, but that last challenge on Olise… fortunately he jumped, otherwise he could have lost his leg,” he said. The France boss also pointed to the absence of VAR as a contributing factor, suggesting it allowed overly aggressive play to go unpunished.
France secured a comfortable win in the fixture, leading 2-0 at the break before closing out the game 3-1. However, the result was overshadowed by concerns over player safety, with Deschamps making it clear he had raised the issue with the officials during the match.
“I was very angry about that tackle. Aggression is one thing, but this went too far,” he added. “I told the fourth official: we are not playing American football here. There is no place for tackles like that.” The incident is likely to reignite debate around officiating standards and the use of VAR in international friendlies.
