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Didier Deschamps has extended his contract as France coach until 2020, the French Football Federation (FFF) has announced. FFF president Noel Le Graet made the announcement on Tuesday, saying Deschamps will stay in charge until the end of Euro 2020. Deschamps took over from Laurent Blanc in 2012 and led Les Bleus to the final of Euro 2016 on home soil, where they lost to Portugal. He led them to next year's World Cup with just one defeat in their 10 qualifying matches, having reached the quarterfinals of the 2014 edition. Le Graet told a news conference: "Didier for me is the best, it is no contest. The France team is progressing with Didier. I want to give him the chance to lead the team at the World Cup and the next Euro. Regardless of the team's performance, he will remain the coach until the end of Euro 2020.'' Le Graet had said earlier this month that he was planning on holding talks with Deschamps over a new deal in the coming weeks as he wanted France's "missions to be clear" ahead of next summer's World Cup. "We ate together last week and discussed the possibility of working together for another two years. The decision was taken after a further discussion this morning," Le Graet added. "It's not a question of finance, but of mutual trust. Money wasn't talked about. A lot of the top clubs in Europe would offer him more." Le Graet said the federation's executive committee "unanimously" supported the decision to extend Deschamps' contract. Deschamps has freshened up the France squad, particularly since Euro 2016, with young players like 18-year-old forward Kylian Mbappe and 20-year-old winger Ousmane Dembele pushing for starting places. "Didier is one of the few coaches to select lads who are 19 or 20," Le Graet said. "When you see the quality of our players, there's cause for hope." Deschamps won 103 caps for France and captained the nation to their 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000 triumphs. Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
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