France will be without captain Griedge Mbock for its opening match at the Women’s European Championship against defending champion England on Saturday.
Mbock has been struggling with a right calf injury and trained apart from her teammates on Thursday, two days before France’s opener in Zurich.
France coach Laurent Bonadei confirmed on Friday that the experienced Paris Saint-Germain defender has been ruled out of the match.
“Unfortunately, Griedge still feels a bit of discomfort in her calf so we won’t take any risks,” he said. “The tournament has only just started and she needs specific care. She will be with us tomorrow but not on the field, unfortunately for her and for us.”
After England, France next plays tournament debutant Wales on Wednesday before its final match in Group D four days later, against the Netherlands.
Bonadei said he was “quite confident that she will be able to join us quickly.”
The 30-year-old Mbock has made 92 appearances for France — starting 81 of those — since her debut 12 years ago.
Mbock will likely be replaced in defense by Alice Sombath or Thiniba Samoura, while PSG teammate Sakina Karchaoui could be handed the captain’s armband.
“Griedge is someone who is very important in the group,” Karchaoui said. “She is our captain, but even if she won’t play the match, she will still be with us. She always has good words to tell us, but today we also have a strong group, and we can count on all the players. … That’s also our strength, that no one is irreplaceable.”
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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