Emmanuel Petit has accused Paul Pogba of losing his head during France's Euro 2020 exit at the hands of Switzerland, before slamming the world champions as 'average'.
Pogba scored a sublime third goal for France to put them 3-1 up with 10 minutes remaining, but a lapse in concentration on the ball saw him go from hero to zero as the Swiss took advantage of his mistake to make it 3-2.
The mistake saw Adrien Rabiot confront Pogba, while the French media are reporting that the players' respective families squabbled in the stands over the goal, which ultimately cost Didier Deschamps' side a place in the quarter-finals.
Emmanuel Petit has accused Paul Pogba (left) of losing the plot against Switzerland
France and Arsenal legend Petit (left) has blasted Pogba (right) and his team-mates
Switzerland would go on to score a last-minute equaliser and then triumph in the penalty shootout to seal a famous victory but cracks are now beginning to show which has left Petit to blast his compatriots.
‘There was one incident – Pogba lost the ball for the second Swiss goal – and France collapsed,' Petit told PaddyPower. 'We lost everything. Concentration, team spirit, desire – and the tie.
‘Worst of all, we started fighting on the pitch between ourselves. There was a big clash between Rabiot and Pogba, who lost the plot, after the second Swiss goal and from then on we had no control, no confidence.
‘We looked average – it’s hard to explain. Mbappe was asking for more responsibilities before the tournament, and there were stories about not passing the ball to Giroud.
‘There was even fighting in the stands between Rabiot, Mbappe and Pogba’s families after the second goal – Rabiot’s mother said Mbappe’s big head is spoiling the team. Then Mbappe penalty is saved in the shootout.
Petit claims France collapsed after Pogba lost the ball in the build-up to the Swiss' second goal
‘We looked so far away from the World Cup-winning team. It reminds me of our team in 2002, when we went out in the group stage of the World Cup. It’s a real shame because it doesn’t need to be like this.’
While arguments between the players on the pitch were there for all to see, the cracks began to show shortly before the tournament started.
The first sign of discontent within the squad came to light following their friendly victory over Bulgaria, in which Mbappe was angered by comments made by Giroud regarding the quality of service he receives.
Moreover, heated exchanges between family members of the squad demonstrated that all is not well within the French camp.
And L'Equipe has provided an in-depth analysis into the bitter atmosphere within the 26-man party, ultimately leading to their untimely exit from the competition.
The French outlet described how Giroud's post-match interview with L'Equipe 'ignited' a feud between the Chelsea striker and Mbappe, in which he said: 'You say that I haven't been seen much but maybe we could have found each other better.'
Rifts emerged in the camp following Kylian Mbappe's (left) row with Olivier Giroud (right)
Mbappe took exception to comments made by Giroud after France's friendly win over Bulgaria
Mbappe was understood to have been infuriated by Giroud's comment, and although the veteran striker maintained that the remark was not directed solely at him, the PSG star demanded that he call a press conference to give his side of the story.
Despite Giroud's repeated assertions that the comment was not aimed at him, Mbappe failed to temper his rage, to the annoyance of senior players such as Steve Mandanda, Hugo Lloris and Moussa Sissoko, who had reportedly grown tired of seeing the 22-year-old 'sulk'.
L'Equipe says that the fallout between Mbappe and Giroud 'marked the borders within the twenty-six', and the restless stars soon became annoyed with their hotel facilities and family restrictions.
While the likes of England, Italy and Spain have enjoyed playing the majority of their games in their home countries, France have been required to travel to Munich, Budapest and Bucharest for their games this tournament.
