Kylian Mbappe has responded to claims made by French Football Federation (FFF) president Noel Le Graet that a lack of support following a missed penalty almost led to the striker walking out on the national team.
Mbappe failed from the spot against Switzerland at Euro 2020, ultimately resulting in Les Bleus being knocked out in the last 16.
And while Le Graet had said that Mbappe was angry with the FFF for not supporting him enough after the missed penalty and subsequent criticism across social media, the 23-year-old has said his gripe was specifically with racist abuse he received and a lack of response from the governing body.
What did Mbappe say about Le Graet?
Originally, Le Graet had said: “I met with him after the Euros, he felt that the Federation had not defended him after his missed penalty and the criticism on the networks.
“We met for five minutes in my office. He was angry, he didn't want to play for the French team any more - which he obviously didn't mean.”
Next Match
However, Mbappe has now accused the president of ignoring racism, responding via social media by saying: “I explained to him well that above all else it was in relation to racism, NOT the penalty.
“However, he thought that there hadn't been any racism...”
What has Mbappe previously said about the incident?
Speaking at the time, the PSG star made it clear that he would drop out of Didier Deschamps' squad if he was ever considered a “problem”.
He said: “I have never taken a single euro to play for the French national team and I will always play for my national team for free. Above all, I never wanted to be a problem.
“But from the moment where I felt like that I was starting to become a problem and that people felt I was a problem… I received the message, that my ego was what made us lose, that I wanted to take up too much space, and that without me, therefore, we might have won.
“The most important thing is the French national team and if the French national team is happier without me, [I'll go].
“I met with the president and we talked about it. What I went to complain to him about was that I was insulted and called a 'monkey' for missing a penalty. That is not the same thing. I will never complain about a penalty. The penalty, I was the one who missed it.”
.jpg?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=640&quality=60)
.jpg?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=640&quality=60)
