Sport24.az
Kilian Mbappe's, the captain of the French national team, absence from Baku for the match against Azerbaijan in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers has caused widespread discussions in his country. According to Sport24.az, the star striker's failure to travel due to a "diplomatic injury" after the team qualified for the main stage of the World Cup has created a new scandal.
He left the national team camp after the 4-0 victory against Ukraine, citing discomfort in his right ankle.
Mbappe's trip to Dubai while not joining the trip to Azerbaijan has created another scandal. Moreover, the flight to Dubai took longer than coming to Baku - 6 hours and 40 minutes.
Another factor that strengthens suspicions is this: Although the French Football Federation stated that the player belonging to the Spanish club "Real" would undergo a medical examination in Madrid, the La Liga representative announced that the forward would be ready for the next match and no examination was planned.
This brought the claims of a "diplomatic injury" to the agenda.
It should be noted that the Azerbaijan-France match ended with a 3-1 victory for the guests.
