PSG accused of 'scandalous manipulation' over Ousmane Dembele injury feud with France national team as ex-star gives '100%' support to Didier Deschamps

Former France forward and 1998 World Cup winner Dugarry has come to his ex-captain, and current national team boss, Didier Deschamps' defence amid the feud between PSG and the French Football Federation (FFF). PSG have expressed their disappointment after the injuries to their players Dembele and Desire Doue, throwing the blame on Deschamps and his coaching staff. On the contrary, Dugarry believes it was PSG who didn't manage the duo's minutes wisely.

France's 2-0 win over Ukraine came at a heavy cost, as Dembele suffered a hamstring injury just 30 minutes after coming on as a second-half substitute, while Doue sustained a calf issue. The Ballon d'Or frontrunner is expected to miss six weeks, while Doue will be out of action for around four weeks. 

Per journalist Fabrice Hawkins, PSG were absolutely furious over the injuries to Dembele and Doue, which the Champions League holders referred to as "serious and avoidable." The Ligue 1 giants have accused the French setup of ignoring their warnings about the winger's medical condition, according to L'Equipe. In a pre-match press conference over the weekend, Deschamps addressed the situation and tried to calm the chaos brewing behind the scenes.

Speaking on RMC Sport with former player Jerome Rothen, Dugarry said: "I'm 100% behind the Federation and behind Didier Deschamps.

"We've known that Dembele has been fragile for several years. Now he's injured, it's just bad luck. If PSG can explain to me and make me believe that Ousmane Dembele never played for Paris when he had too much muscular work, I don't believe it for a single second.

"The manipulation PSG is trying to implement is scandalous; it's disrespectful to the national team and Didier Deschamps. PSG is solely responsible for Dembele's work overload. 

"I understand PSG's disappointment, but the national team is above all else. The coach chooses the players no matter what. [PSG] already have their noses in the LFP (governing body that overlooks French leagues), they also want to have it in the FFF and decide what will happen at the Federation? When I see President Nasser [Al-Khelaifi] alongside Gianni Infantino, explaining to us that the Club World Cup is a good thing..."

France will hope to make it two wins out of two during the ongoing international break as they prepare to host Iceland at the Parc des Princes on Tuesday.