According to reports that emerged last month, France captain Kylian Mbappe stopped the Under-21 squad from going on strike during Ramadan. Due to tensions surrounding the Islamic holiday, the French Football Federation prohibited fasting breaks during games for Muslim players.
As a result, the senior team’s leader and Paris Saint-Germain superstar apparently had to step in to help smooth things up. It was L’Equipe that suggested that certain young Muslim French national team players had opted not to postpone the beginning of their fast in order to participate in the international break in March.
The youngsters arrived at France’s national training center and notified coaches that they planned to start their fast as soon as possible. It is believed that when the FFA learned about the junior squad’s discontent, they dispatched the 23-year-old Mbappe to address the group.
What did Kylian Mbappe say about L’Equipe’s story?
According to the rumors, a strike was a major possibility among the players as they discussed protesting in Under 21 manager Sylvain Ripoll’s office. There was even talk that some players were considering going without lunch as a public display of their dedication to the fast.
Many of the French U-21 players had originally planned to fast throughout the international break, but following the rumored encounter with Kylian Mbappe, they changed their minds. The president of the French FA, Philippe Diallo, subsequently speculated that the absence of a definitive regulation may have led to the ambiguity inside the national team.
Moreover, the PSG star who has only been wearing the national team’s captain’s armband since March when he succeeded Hugo Lloris, has now taken to social media to comment on the accuracy of L’Equipe‘s story. “Please avoid putting my name in your stories and check your sources… Good evening“, he tweeted a furious response followed by a ‘thumbs-up’ emoji.