France coach Zinedine Zidane dismissed reports of a strained relationship with star forward Kylian Mbappé on Saturday as his team prepared to face Türkiye with a Nations League quarterfinal berth at stake.
France host Türkiye on Sunday in Bordeaux in its final Group A1 match. A draw would guarantee France a place in the quarterfinals following Thursday’s 3-1 loss to Italy in Milan.
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Reports this week questioned the relationship between Zidane and his captain.
There were suggestions that Mbappé was unhappy about being deployed on the left wing during September’s camp, with Ousmane Dembélé playing centrally, and that communication between the pair had been limited.
“I don’t understand it, it’s not a big deal,” Zidane said. “That’s why I won’t get into the debate.
“I have a coach-player relationship with him, and things are going perfectly well,” Zidane said. “I can’t stop people from saying what they’re saying. But it’s nonsense. It’s a shame and quite annoying.”
Mbappé missed the defeat to Italy with a hamstring problem. Zidane confirmed Saturday that the Real Madrid forward would be available against Türkiye.
The loss to Italy was the first defeat in five games for Zidane since he replaced Didier Deschamps as coach following the 2026 World Cup.
France and Italy have 10 points each, one ahead of Belgium, who host Italy in the other group match Sunday.
France could finish first with a victory if Italy fail to win, while a French defeat combined with a Belgian victory would leave Zidane’s team third and out of quarterfinal contention.
Türkiye has lost all five of their games.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
