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Former Argentina head coach walks back his harsh criticism of France international star Ousmane Dembele.
Argentine coach Jorge Sampaoli has apologised for his harsh criticism of Paris Saint-Germain winger Ousmane Dembele over his performance for France at the European Championship.
Les Bleus had an underwhelming performance and were knocked out in the semi-final by would-be champions Spain. Dembele was one of the French stars who did not cover themselves in glory, which earned him criticism from former Sevilla manager Sampaoli.
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What Sampaoli said
Speaking about the match, Sampaoli, who is connected to French football through his brief stint at Marseille, employed autism in a derogatory manner in his criticism of Dembele.
"The other players are like spectators watching how the action will end,” he told So Foot, per Goal.
“They know that they play like an autistic person: he starts the action and finishes it alone. He does not have the ability to make a teammate shine; he only knows how to make himself shine."
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Sampaoli apologises
The 64-year-old received blowback for his comment and has now taken to social media to apologise for his choice of words.
“It was never my intention to refer to autism,” Sampaoli shared on Instagram. “I apologize to everyone. I wanted to talk about individuality. More than ever, you need to be careful with the words used."
Sampaoli is currently out of work. He last coached Flamengo in the Brasileiro Serie A before he was fired in September last year.
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