French President Emmanuel Macron Photo:AFP

French President Emmanuel Macron will travel to Qatar to attend the World Cup semifinal between France and Morocco on Wednesday, French Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera said on Sunday.

France, tournament winners in 2018, will play Morocco for a place in the final after they beat England 2-1 and the North Africans beat Portugal 1-0 in Saturday’s earlier quarterfinals.

“The details of the trip remain to be settled, of course, but he had made this commitment,” she said on Franceinfo radio.

Macron’s office had said in November that he would wait for the semifinals to go to the World Cup if the team reached that stage.

France’s World Cup run is turning into a triumph for coach Didier Deschamps, who has won over those who felt he had stayed in charge too long and is within touching distance of another final.

Victory over England on Saturday means France now face Morocco in the last four on Wednesday, and whatever happens there, Deschamps will be free to decide if he wants to extend his 10-year spell in charge.

“The ball is in my court and I will decide. I will be here for the semifinal and then we’ll see. One thing at a time,” said Deschamps after fulfilling the objective set out for him by French Football Federation President Noel le Graet.

“The president is happy. Lots of people are happy. But I want to savor being back in the last four. I am thinking about Wednesday, not about other things.”

Deschamps was appointed in 2012 and some felt he should have bowed out on a high after France’s 2018 World Cup triumph. What followed was a disappointing performance at Euro 2020, when they lost in the last 16 despite a return for Karim Benzema from the international wilderness. 

With Zinedine Zidane available and seemingly ready to become France’s next coach, the World Cup in Qatar has arguably been Deschamps’ greatest challenge yet.

The holders appeared diminished by injuries coming into the tournament, deprived of starting midfielders Paul Pogba and N’Golo Kante and then of Benzema before a ball had been kicked.

Many wondered if France would go the way of the past three reigning champions, Italy, Spain and Germany, who were all knocked out of the next World Cup in the group phase.

Agencies