France were denied permission to wear black armbands in tribute to head coach Didier Deschamps' late mother after FIFA rejected a request from the French Football Federation (FFF) ahead of their final Group I World Cup clash against Norway.
Deschamps, 57, returned to France earlier this week following the death of his mother and missed Les Bleus' final group-stage fixture as he attends her funeral. Assistant coach Guy Stephan took charge of the team in his absence.
Why did FIFA reject the request?
FIFA declined France's request because it had already designated the pre-match tribute to commemorate the victims of the recent earthquake in Venezuela. The governing body also rejected the FFF's follow-up proposal to allow players to wear black armbands instead, leading to criticism of the decision and leaving France unable to publicly honour Deschamps' personal loss during the match.
The decision also forced the FFF into an awkward reversal after it had prematurely announced that a minute's silence would be observed in memory of Deschamps' mother before later clarifying that FIFA had already reserved the tribute for the victims of the Venezuela disaster.
Despite the emotional setback, France have already secured qualification for the knockout stages after an impressive group campaign, meaning Deschamps' absence will not affect their progress in the tournament.
Ousmane Dembele then scored a historic first half hat-trick to put his side into command in Boston.
