Charlie Hebdo cartoon shows France coach Deschamps lifting mother's urn as trophy, sparking outcry
A cartoon in the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo depicting France coach Didier Deschamps hoisting a funerary urn marked 'Maman' as if it were a World Cup trophy has drawn condemnation from the French Football Federation and politicians.
The cartoon, published on 28 June, shows Deschamps smiling as he lifts the urn above his head. The caption reads: 'Didier Deschamps ramène la Coupe à la maison' ('Didier Deschamps brings the cup home'), a direct play on the 2018 World Cup anthem by Vegedream. The image follows the death of Deschamps's mother, Ginette, who passed away a few days earlier, prompting the coach to briefly leave France's World Cup camp for her funeral.
Federation and political backlash
The French Football Federation president Philippe Diallo called the drawing shocking.
This cartoon shocked me. Inappropriate towards a man going through great pain. The federation fully supports freedom of expression, but this cover remains disrespectful and indecent.
Social media users branded the cartoon 'vile', 'shameful', and 'gratuitous cruelty'. The hashtag 'Je ne suis pas Charlie' surfaced, a reversal of the solidarity slogan that trended after the 2015 attack on the magazine. Antoine Léaument, a deputy from La France Insoumise, said the cartoon showed insensitivity to a grieving son.
This cartoon is not funny. You have to be insensitive to the pain of others to laugh at it and publish something like this. Didier Deschamps is not just a public figure: he is a son in mourning. Is a little respect too much to ask?
Bachir Nehar, the FFF's technical manager, described the drawing as 'disgusting' and 'gratuitous cruelty' in an Instagram post.
Deschamps returns to World Cup duties
Deschamps attended his mother's funeral in France and returned to the team's base in the United States on 27 June. He took charge of his first training session on Sunday at Bentley University in Waltham, Massachusetts, working largely with substitutes from the previous match. Midfielder N'Golo Kanté and forward Marcus Thuram did not take part. The session was witnessed by 2018 World Cup winner Adil Rami.
World Cup context
France topped Group I and will face Sweden in the round of 16 on Tuesday at East Rutherford, New Jersey. The controversy around Charlie Hebdo's front page has now become an unexpected subplot to the team's World Cup campaign.
