France star Kylian Mbappe will not be wearing a face mask featuring the three colours of the French flag when he returns to action in UEFA Euro 2024. Mbappe broke his nose in France’s opening 1-0 win over Austria on Monday after a collision with Austria defender Kevin Danso’s shoulder and is still uncertain to feature in France vs Netherlands.
Kylian Mbappe to ditch French coloured mask
Looking to make a swift return to the pitch, the Real Madrid forward participated in light training with his teammates on Thursday, sporting a mask with the famous French tricolore. However, UEFA’s regulations stipulate that medical equipment worn on the field must be a single colour and free of team and manufacturer identification, barring a special exemption.
“Medical equipment worn on the field of play must be a single colour and free of team and manufacturer identification,” reads a portion of UEFA’s regulations.
Will Kylian Mbappe play in France vs Netherlands?
France coach Didier Deschamps expressed optimism about Mbappe’s potential return against the Netherlands, however, he would likely start on the bench and might not feature until France’s final group game against Poland on Tuesday. “Everything is going well after the shock we had. He was able to take part in some light exercises yesterday, and that will be the same this evening. Everything is evolving in the right direction,” Deschamps said. “We’ll do all we can to ensure that he’ll be available tomorrow.”
France and the Netherlands are tied with three points each in Group D. The Dutch secured a come-from-behind 2-1 victory over Poland, while France required an own goal to overcome Austria. Historically, France has dominated their encounters with the Netherlands, winning seven of their past eight meetings, including both home and away victories in qualifying.
