"I find it unbelievable": Rothen's furious outburst about the handling of tickets reserved for the families of French national team players

With just seven days to go before the start of the 2026 World Cup, the French national team and the French Football Federation (FFF) still need to reach an agreement on two thorny issues: the amount of bonuses and the number of tickets allocated to each player in the stands. This situation is causing tension for Jérôme Rothen, who expressed his dismay on RMC radio on Thursday at the lack of foresight.

The situation isn't exactly ideal for preparing for a World Cup. Before the kickoff of the North American tournament, the issues of individual bonuses and allocated seats in the stands for the families of French national team players have still not been resolved by the French Football Federation (FFF). These matters are starting to cause tension among the French players, including Jérôme Rothen.

"The number of seats is a problem," he worried on Thursday during "Rothen s'enflamme" on RMC. "There are families who travel to the match. When you're not guaranteed enough seats for your family in the stands, it's a recipe for trouble. Two seats isn't many."

In his day, the famous left foot remembers having "four or five" per match, when he played with Les Bleus in the 2003 Confederations Cup and then Euro 2004.

"You're wasting energy."

Above all, Jérôme Rothen is furious about the "terrible timing." "The Federation president (Philippe Diallo), along with the captain (Kylian Mbappé) and any other players involved, have had all year... With all the training camps that have taken place, you haven't had time to sit down and reach an agreement on bonuses and player allocation? I find that unbelievable!"

And the former French international continued, clearly agitated: "Mr. Diallo tells us it's not a big deal. But it is, Mr. Diallo. That shows a complete lack of understanding of football and the locker room. These are the kinds of discussions the players will have after training. When you're a player, it gets to you because you're constantly being pulled in different directions by family, friends... It's never good. You drain your energy. You lose focus and focus because of this nonsense. That's why Mr. Diallo is making a mistake by only negotiating now. I find it unbelievable that there's no agreement a week before the French national team's first match."

2 free places, 6 reserved but at the players' expense

In a tense economic context and in view of the significant expenses incurred to put the staff of the Blues in the best conditions, the FFF has decided to ask the players to make an effort by halving the number of places usually offered to relatives in the stands.

From four tickets at the last World Cup, players would now only receive two free tickets distributed by the Federation. Six other tickets would be reserved for families, but at the players' expense. For some, this is insufficient, especially considering that PSG, for example, offered 10 invitations for each player's family to the Champions League final against Arsenal.

Negotiations are continuing between French Football Federation (FFF) president Philippe Diallo and the senior players of the French national team to try and find a quick solution, ideally before the final warm-up match scheduled for Monday in Lille against Northern Ireland. Regarding bonuses, the other topic of discussion between the FFF and the players, a positive outcome is expected soon. The Federation assures that the bonuses promised to the players during the World Cup will not be reduced, even if the distribution method might change.