PSG call for change after Dembele and Doue international duty injuries

PARIS: Paris Saint-Germain on Sunday criticized the “serious and avoidable” injuries suffered by Ousmane Dembele and Desire Doue while on international duty with the France national team.
After the PSG stars were both forced off during France’s 2026 World Cup qualifying win over Ukraine on Friday, their club sent a letter to the French Football Federation (FFF) requesting better “medical and sporting coordination between clubs and the national team.”
PSG, who will be without a hamstrung Dembele for around six weeks and Doue for some four weeks with a calf issue, are “urgently requesting a new protocol...

that is more transparent and collaborative” regarding player health, they announced in a statement on their website Sunday.
The European champions said they “had provided the FFF with concrete medical information, even before the French team gathered, on the acceptable workload and injury risks for their players.”
PSG added they “regret that these medical recommendations were not taken into account by the (national team) medical staff,” as well as criticizing “the total lack of consultation with their medical teams.”
The club reaffirmed their commitment to Les Bleus, but added the “serious and avoidable incidents” must serve as a catalyst for change, particularly in the case of players “underdoing treatment for a medical issue.”
“(PSG) hope that these regrettable events will pave the way for the establishment of a new formalized framework for medical coordination, ensuring systematic, documented and reciprocal exchanges between the medical staff of clubs and the national team,” they said.
France coach Didier Deschamps said he sympathized with the French Ligue 1 champions’ complaints.
“If I were at a club, I would feel