France coach Deschamps criticizes player workload, Ghana protests Canada's visa denial for Partey

Didier Deschamps, the French national football team's coach, has criticized the increasing burden on top-level football players, warning of serious health consequences.

Deschamps (57), who won the World Cup as a player in 1998 and as a coach in 2018, is preparing to lead the French team in its last major tournament in North America, which will feature a record 104 matches.

He told the German newspaper 'Welt' on Saturday that the warning signs had been clear for a long time.

France is scheduled to begin its tournament campaign against Senegal next Tuesday.

"There are 48 teams participating in the World Cup alone, as well as additional tournaments like the Club World Cup. Therefore, the risk of mental and physical burnout cannot be ruled out."

The number of participating teams in the World Cup has increased from 32 to 48, and a round of 32 has been introduced in the new competition system.

The number of matches in other tournaments has also increased recently, such as the Champions League.

Deschamps said that the recovery periods and preparation phases for players have become shorter.

Deschamps, who took over as coach of the French national team in 2012, added: "The level of physical fatigue in a player can be calculated today, but what cannot be measured is their mental state. And this factor plays a very important role in football."

The government of Ghana, on Saturday, submitted a formal protest following Canada's refusal to grant an entry visa to player Thomas Partey, who is on trial in Britain for rape charges, to participate in the World Cup.

Ghanaian Foreign Minister Sam Okudzeto Ablakwa said in a statement that Ghana objects to the "arbitrary and extremely unfair decision" to refuse the visa application submitted by Partey, "a key player in the Ghanaian senior national team."

He added: "Ghana has sent a formal protest note" to Canada, one of the host countries along with the United States and Mexico, and continued: "The note also requested Canada to review its unfortunate decision."

He further stated: "While we respect Canada's sovereign right to enforce its immigration laws, Ghana believes that relying on unproven accusations in the absence of a judicial decision raises fundamental questions about justice and proportionality."

Partey (33), a former Arsenal midfielder and current Villarreal player, will not be able to travel to Toronto, where Ghana will begin its World Cup campaign against Panama on the 17th of this month. The Ghanaian national team has set up its training camp in the United States, at Bryant University in Boston.

Partey is expected to be eligible to participate in Ghana's subsequent two matches in Group 12, against England and Croatia, which will be held in the United States.

Partey had pleaded not guilty to 7 counts of rape and one count of sexual assault related to allegations made by 4 women between 2020 and 2022.

The player is scheduled to appear in court next year.

In the same context, the International Football Federation (FIFA) confirmed that Partey will not be able to travel from the Ghanaian national team's camp in Boston to Canada to play his opening match against Panama.

It clarified that it "is not involved in the immigration procedures of the host countries, including the processing of visa applications."

Players of the Spanish national football team wear special vests filled with frozen gel to help cool their bodies during training in the hot weather conditions at the World Cup in North America.

The Spanish Football Federation announced today (Saturday) that the 2010 world champions and one of the main contenders to win the 2026 World Cup are among 14 teams using this new technology developed by German sportswear company "Adidas."

The federation explained in a statement that these vests are capable of lowering the internal body temperature by up to 0.5 degrees Celsius and skin temperature by up to 13 degrees Celsius.

The statement indicated that this step places Spain "at the forefront of using technology to ensure players compete in the best possible physical condition."

The Spanish national team, European champions, will begin their tournament campaign against the Cape Verde team, which is participating in the World Cup for the first time, next Monday in Atlanta.

The stadium in Atlanta has a closed roof, which will provide protection for players and fans from high temperatures, but the Spanish national team's training ground in Tennessee is open and directly exposed to hot weather conditions.

Wingers Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams returned to full group training earlier last week after recovering from minor injuries.