World Cup

[monks data]

World Cup | Final

Dec 18, 2022 at 3pm UK

Lusail Iconic Stadium

Argentina
3 - 3
France

Messi (23' pen., 108'), di Maria (36')
Fernandez (45+7'), Acuna (90+8'), Paredes (114'), Montiel (116'), Martinez (126')

FT
(aet)

Mbappe (80' pen., 81', 118' pen.)
Rabiot (55'), Thuram (87'), Giroud (90+5')

Argentina win 4-2 on penalties

Raphael Varane, Ibrahima Konate 'suffering from illness ahead of World Cup final'

By Ben Knapton, Senior Reporter | 16 December 2022

Varane, Konate 'suffering from illness ahead of World Cup final'

France defenders Raphael Varane and Ibrahima Konate reportedly become the latest Bleus players struck down by illness ahead of the World Cup final with Argentina.

Centre-backs Raphael Varane and Ibrahima Konate have reportedly become the latest France players to fall victim to illness ahead of Sunday's World Cup 2022 final with Argentina.

A bug has been sweeping through Didier Deschamps's camp in the past few days, with Adrien Rabiot and Dayot Upamecano both forced to miss Wednesday's semi-final win over Morocco.

Bayern Munich attacker Kingsley Coman has also been displaying flu-like symptoms and missed training on Thursday, throwing his availability for the final into doubt too.

Now, The Telegraph reports that both Varane and Konate are now suffering with a similar illness, just 48 hours before Les Bleus defend their World Cup crown against Argentina.

The pair both started in Wednesday's victory over Morocco while Upamecano sat out with the virus, and Konate earned high praise for his performance in the Bayern man's absence.

Raphael Varane in action for France on December 14, 2022 © Reuters

However, the Premier League pairing have now emerged as doubts for Sunday's final, although Deschamps reportedly expects both men to still be available for the match.

It is understood that Konate is feeling worse than Varane, but Upamecano returned to training on Thursday evening and could be a straight swap for the Liverpool man in the heart of defence.

Meanwhile, should Varane also be ruled out at short notice, either William Saliba or Axel Disasi could step in, while Jules Kounde could also move central if Benjamin Pavard returns at right-back.

It is unclear what has caused the sudden spate of illness in the France camp, with some believing that the constant air conditioning in Qatar stadiums and hotels is to blame.

A number of Brazil's players also suffered from similar symptoms earlier in the tournament and pointed the finger at the air conditioning, but there is belief that France could have picked up the virus in their quarter-final win over England.

France manager Didier Deschamps pictured on December 14, 2022 © Reuters

Declan Rice was dealing with an unspecified bug before recovering in time to feature last weekend, but the report adds that his symptoms were different, and there is no evidence to back up that theory.

In order to quell the spread of the virus, France have reportedly enforced social distancing around the camp and asked hotel workers to wear masks, but they are not being tested for COVID-19.

Upamecano and Rabiot are both expected to be available for the final after making quick recoveries earlier this week, although it remains to be seen how quickly Coman, Konate and Varane can fight off the illness.

France lost the likes of Karim Benzema, Paul Pogba, N'Golo Kante and Christopher Nkunku to injury before the tournament, while Lucas Hernandez suffered a torn ACL in their opening Group D match with Australia.

The Bayern defender's brother Theo Hernandez has filled in at left-back since, although he will also need to be assessed ahead of the final after taking a couple of knocks to the knee against Morocco.