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New Delhi: Paris Saint-Germain have hit out at the French Football Federation after Ousmane Dembele and Desire Doue both suffered injuries on international duty. The French champions described the setbacks as "avoidable" and accused the national team of ignoring medical advice provided by the club.
Dembele limped off with a hamstring problem in France's 2-0 World Cup qualifying win over Ukraine on Friday, just minutes after replacing Doue, who had already been forced off with a calf strain. PSG confirmed that Dembele is expected to be sidelined for around six weeks while Doue faces roughly a month out. Both will miss the opening games of their Champions League defence, starting against Atalanta on 17 September and then away to Barcelona on October 1.
The double blow comes at a difficult time for PSG, who had started the Ligue 1 season strongly and were preparing to build on last year's historic treble-winning campaign.
In a strongly worded statement, the club said it had shared medical details with France before the squad assembled, warning of risks linked to the workload of both players. PSG complained that its recommendations were ignored and that there was no real consultation between the two medical teams.
The statement read, “The club deplores that these medical recommendations were not taken into account by the French national team staff. The recent serious and preventable events must give rise to immediate corrective measures.”
PSG have urged the federation to establish a more transparent and collaborative system to protect players when they switch from club to country.
France coach Didier Deschamps pushed back against the criticism insisting that neither player was rushed back too soon. He said both Dembele and Doue were fit to feature and had been fully consulted before playing.
“If you leave players on the bench, you take no risks. But once they’re on the pitch, there’s no such thing as zero risk,” Deschamps said on French television. “Dembele was ready; otherwise I would not have played him.”
The coach added that Doue himself wanted to play, noting that the desire of players to represent their country can sometimes outweigh caution.
The row comes amid wider concerns over player welfare. France's players' union has already criticised congested schedules, warning of the dangers of overloading top professionals. PSG’s packed calendar last season, which stretched deep into the summer with the Club World Cup and Super Cup, has added to fatigue concerns.
For PSG, the loss of two key attacking talents so early in the campaign is a significant setback. Both Dembele and Doue were central to last season’s treble, and their absence could test the squad’s depth as the Champions League defence gets underway.
