Euro 2020: France staff vaccinated, no plan for players – Deschamps

All staff members of the French national team have been vaccinated against Covid-19 ahead of Euro 2020, although the federation had made no plan to protect the players, coach Didier Deschamps said on Wednesday.

“The whole staff has been vaccinated but nothing has been organised for the players,” Deschamps told a news conference as the squad gathered for the first time at France’s national training camp in Clairefontaine. “Getting vaccinated is a personal decision. Some players might have been vaccinated. We know that vaccination is the only way to fight against the virus.”

Every adult in France is now eligible to receive a vaccination shot, with the under-50s needing to book next-day appointments until Monday. From Tuesday, they will be able to book any available slot. France have been drawn in Euro Group F with Germany, Hungary and Portugal.

They will play two warm-up games before their June 15 opener against Germany in Munich – against Wales in Nice on June 2 and against Bulgaria on June 8 at the Stade de France. Until then, the France staff will work on getting every player into the best physical shape at the end of a long club season.

“We are in the first part of the preparation. We need to put gas in the engine,” said Deschamps. “All the players are not at the same level of fitness and our job is to get all of them to the best possible condition.”