European champions Paris Saint-Germain have criticised the French Football Federation (FFF) after “recent serious and avoidable” injuries suffered by Ousmane Dembele and Desire Doue.
Both players face extended spells on the sidelines after being taken off injured during France’s win over Ukraine last week, with Dembele having suffered a “serious” hamstring injury after replacing Doue, who himself came off after a calf strain.
The duo will miss several key games, including fixtures against Barcelona and Atalanta in the Champions League league phase.
In a statement posted on the club’s website, PSG said that the club has sent a letter to the FFF urging “a new, more transparent and collaborative medical-sporting coordination protocol between clubs and the national team”.
The club claimed it had sent “concrete medical data” on “the acceptable workload and injury risks for its players”, alleging that said recommendations “were not taken into account by the French national team’s medical staff”.
The statement added that PSG hope that “these regrettable events will pave the way for the establishment of a new formalised framework for medical coordination”, before re-affirming that “the recent serious and avoidable incidents must be followed by swift and immediate corrective measures”.
When asked about his decision to use both players, France manager Didier Deschamps said that he “was sure that he [Dembele] was capable of playing a high level match, otherwise I would not have played him”.
“This time, it’s the other thigh. He was fit. It is unfortunate for him but could have happened to another player,” he added.
On Doue, the France boss explained that the 20-year-old wanted to play, adding: “The desire to play takes precedent over a lot of things”.
Dembele – who is among the favourites to pick up the Ballon d’Or at the ceremony in Paris on 22 September – is set to miss around six weeks, while Doue should be out for around four weeks.
