Trust France to be world champions and have a team that will be considered favourites once again in Qatar this summer, only to see preparations overshadowed by talk of witch-doctors, image rights, an alleged extortion plot and more than a dozen star players out injured. Kylian Mbappe and Paul Pogba are both dealing with off-field issues right now The French …
France’s last competitive matches before the World Cup should be a chance for coach Didier Deschamps to test his best team. Furthermore, Deschamps is without nine injured regulars including longstanding goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, midfielder Paul Pogba — who’s mired in an extortion scandal involving his own brother — and star striker Karim Benzema. Deschamps took charge in 2012, two years …
