Kylian Mbappe trains wearing a blue, white and red mask ahead of the match between France and the Netherlands. The Netherlands vs France match on the second matchday of Group D Euro 2024 was held at Leipzig Stadium, Saturday (22/6/2024).
Mbappe had to wear a mask because he suffered a broken nose after colliding with Austrian defender, Kevin Danso, in the previous match. However, according to UEFA regulations Article 42.01, Mbappe will not be able to wear a mask with a color combination in the style of the French flag.
The following is the content of Article 42.01 UEFA regarding medical equipment:
Medical equipment (e.g. head protector, face mask, cast, knee brace or brace, elbow pads) Medical equipment worn on the field of play must be one color and not identify the team and manufacturer. Items worn on the legs and arms must be the same color as the corresponding playing clothing (for example, elbow pads or tape used on the arms are the same color as the sleeves and leg pads are the same color as the shorts).
According to RMC Sports, France has several masks, some of them plain, that Mbappe can wear when competing. French coach, Didier Deschamps, revealed that Mbappe’s condition has improved a lot. “Everything is going in the right direction after this big ‘surprise’. Yesterday he was able to train,” said Deschamps.
According to an ESPN report, Mbappe has been doing light training with the French national team at the Home Deluxe Arena since Wednesday (19/6/2024) local time. ESPN said Mbappe trained lightly by wearing a bandage to cover his broken nose.
Mbappe will continue the remainder of the Euro 2024 competition using a special protective mask. “I think Mbappe will be fine,” said Fabregas. “I wouldn’t say (wearing a mask) is something extraordinary, but also it won’t make you play bad. There’s no excuse,” he said.
The former Chelsea star revealed that star players like Mbappe would not be bothered by small things like wearing masks in matches. “Players like this, they are too special to be faced with little things like this,” he said. “He should be able to play. We are talking about a player with great abilities and personality,” he said.
Meanwhile, France is currently in second place in Group D of Euro 2024 with three points from a 1-0 win over Austria. Meanwhile, the Netherlands is in first place with three points after beating Poland with a score of 2-1.
