French Football Federation (FFF) president Noel Le Graet has apologised after being accused by Kylian Mbappe and Real Madrid of disrespecting Zinedine Zidane.
Paris Saint-Germain forward Mbappe was one of many to take aim at Le Graet over comments he made after it was confirmed Didier Deschamps is staying on as France head coach.
Le Graet said he did not care whether Zidane, who had been strongly tipped to succeed Deschamps, ended up taking on another job.
The 81-year-old also said he would not pick up the phone if former midfielder Zidane called him to discuss coaching the national team.
Many called for Le Graet to apologise, with Mbappe posting on Twitter: "Zidane is France, we don't disrespect the legend like that..."
Madrid issued a statement on Monday criticising the "unfortunate comments".
Los Blancos also referenced previous remarks made by Le Graet regarding striker Karim Benzema, who recently announced his retirement from international duty.
Madrid's condemnation was swiftly followed by Le Graet releasing a statement of his own in which he attempted a U-turn.
"These awkward remarks created a misunderstanding," said Le Graet, who has been FFF president since June 2011.
"I'd like to present my personal apologies for these remarks which absolutely do not reflect my thoughts, nor my consideration for the player he was and the coach he's become."
Zidane has been out of work since leaving Madrid in May 2021, having led Los Blancos to three Champions Leagues and two LaLiga titles across two spells in charge.
As a player, Zidane earned 108 caps for France and helped his country win the World Cup in 1998 and the European Championship two years later.
The 50-year-old has also been touted as a candidate to take over as head coach of Brazil, while the United States are reported to have made an approach.
Euro 2024 social round-up: Mbappe's broken nose, Neville's concern and the stars are out
Euro 2024 is truly up and running, with five of the six groups having already gone through their first matchdays.
On Monday, favourties France clicked into gear with a 1-0 win over Austria.
That came after Romania thrashed Ukraine 3-0 and Belgium were the first major side to suffer a shock defeat, going down 1-0 to Slovenia.
But what about the action on social media? We've picked out some of the best posts...
The stars are out
There's plenty of big names taking in all the action in Germany, and there were some superstars in attendance to watch on as France faced Austria in Dusseldorf.
Among them were Portuguese great Luis Figo, Germany icon Philipp Lahm, and Spain legend - and current Bayer Leverkusen coach - Xabi Alonso.
Lahm posted on Instagram: "#AUTFRA in best company! Amazing how fans from Europe and all over the world have turned Germany into a big festival within just a few days."
Expected broken bones (xBB)?
Poor old Kylian Mbappe. He just can't catch a break at the Euros.
He did help create France's winner against Austria, but subsequently missed a great chance (one that had an expected goals value of 0.6) in the second half, and is yet to score at the European Championships.
To top it off, he then sustained what appeared to be a broken nose when his face clashed with Kevin Danso's shoulder.
Mbappe also received a booking before he was eventually substituted. Opta Analyst saw the funny side, at least.
Evergreen
Eyebrows were raised in some quarters when Didier Deschamps elected to select N'Golo Kante in France's squad.
At 33 and having struggled with injuries in recent seasons, Kante now plies his trade out in Saudi Arabia.
Yet he was simply magnificent in the heart of France's midfield against Austria. He attempted three tackles, won two of them and made two interceptions in an all-action display.
Key skills
Fan parks in Germany are equipped with CPR training centres, so supporters can learn how to potentially save a life if required.
And it's not just the fans who are able to take in a lesson.
As UEFA's official X account showed, the players are getting involved too. The Romanian team gave it a go.
Midfield an issue for England?
Gary Neville is out in Germany as a pundit for ITV Sport, though the former England defender was back on Sky Sports to share his thoughts on the Three Lions' display against Serbia on Sunday.
And Neville fears for the balance of Gareth Southgate's midfield.
"The midfield is the major concern and the fluidity of the game that comes through there is one thing we need to try and work on in the group stage because when we play against a good team, we'll have to have it right," said Neville.
"There are some small alarm bells around balance and having a good group of players that are very talented but are we as good a team?"
Quickfire tour
Ever wondered what it's like behind the scenes at a team training camp at a major tournament?
Well, Scotland's social media team allowed fans to have a quick peep behind the curtain by sharing a 45-second video of their Alpine training base.
Garmisch-Partenkirchen is a town in Bavaria, and it's as picturesque as you can imagine.
Where's Wally?
Can you pick out one character in a sea of red and white?
The Austria fans were out in uniform for their clash with France!
Would you like fries with that?
It was far from a dream start for Belgium, as they slumped to a 1-0 loss to Slovakia.
Romelu Lukaku was twice thwarted by VAR, and squandered numerous big chances.
But Lukaku can at least take solace in the fact he is not the Belgium fan who elected to turn up to the match wearing a hat resembling a portion of french fries... That really is having a chip on your shoulder!
Austria 0-1 France: Les Bleus triumph in Euro 2024 opener after Wober own-goal
France started their quest for Euro 2024 glory with a narrow 1-0 victory over Austria after Max Wober's first-half own-goal proved decisive in Dusseldorf.
The two-time European Championship winners had to wait until the 38th minute for their breakthrough, with Wober turning Kylian Mbappe's cross into his own net on Monday.
Les Bleus held on in the second half to earn Didier Deschamps his 100th win in charge of France, though there was concern as Mbappe received lengthy treatment for a head injury late on before being withdrawn.
Deschamps will hope Mbappe is passed fit after that issue as France prepare for Friday's clash with fellow Group D leaders Netherlands, who share top spot in the pool after overcoming Poland 2-1 on Sunday.
Deschamps' men settled into their seamless groove early on, with Mbappe racing clear of the Austria defence before seeing his effort repelled by the strong palm of Patrick Pentz.
Yet for all of France's dominance in possession, Austria remained resolute in defence and almost struck first against the run of play 10 minutes before the interval.
Christoph Baumgartner found himself unmarked inside the France box after Marcel Sabitzer's deft knockdown, but was unable to find a way beyond the onrushing Mike Maignan when rushing a glorious chance.
Just two minutes later, Deschamps' deadly attack showed their ruthless nature as Mbappe chopped inside before delivering towards the near post, where Wober inadvertently headed past the helpless Pentz.
Mbappe should have doubled France's lead after the interval but somehow fired wide when one-on-one with Pentz, leaving the Real Madrid-bound forward still waiting for a first European Championship goal.
Les Bleus remained the most likely to find a decisive second goal but Theo Hernandez's teasing delivery just evaded Antoine Greizmann before Marcus Thuram also went close.
Yet the battling victory was marred by the injury to Mbappe, who was forced off in the final minute of normal time after suffering a concerning blow to his nose when challenging for an aerial duel with Kevin Danso.
Mbappe's wait for maiden Euro goal goes on
Mbappe produced an influential display but was far from his clinical best for Les Bleus as his first goal at this tournament continues to elude him.
The former Paris Saint-Germain attacker has now failed to convert any of his last 17 shots at the competition, in stark contrast to the 12 goals he has managed from 39 attempts at the World Cup.
His one-on-one opportunity in the second half had an expected goals tally (xG) of 0.6, second only behind Griezmann's opportunity (0.75 xG) in the area 11 minutes later.
Aside from Mbappe, France were wasteful in the final third as a collective, registering just three shots on target in the contest from 14 attempts – underperforming their xG by 1.03.
Austria down, but certainly not out
Ralf Rangnick's team can be proud of their defensive display against France's star-studded attacking line, with their fighting efforts seeing them make the most tackles (27) of any side at the tournament so far.
However, their struggles against Les Bleus continued as Austria have now won just one of their last 11 meetings against France in all competitions, with that sole victory coming in 2008.
Austria will still hope to replicate their last-16 run at Euro 2020, their best-ever finish in the competition, and face Poland in Berlin on Friday before concluding their group campaign against the Netherlands.
Tadic tips 'hungry' Bellingham to 'win next Ballon d'Or'
Jude Bellingham "has everything to win the next Ballon d'Or", Serbia skipper Dusan Tadic insisted after his side fell victim to England's star midfielder.
Bellingham was the hero with his first-half header ensuring Gareth Southgate's side got off to a winning start at Euro 2024, as they edged out the Eagles 1-0 in Gelsenkirchen.
The Real Madrid midfielder built on the momentum from his memorable debut season with Los Blancos, for whom he scored 23 goals and helped win LaLiga and the Champions League.
The second player after Michael Owen to score at the World Cup and European Championship before turning 21, he is also the first to do so for the Three Lions while playing his club football outside of England.
And Tadic, who appeared as a second-half substitute in Serbia's first match at the European Championship as a unified nation, paid tribute to the 20-year-old.
When asked whether he thought Bellingham was the difference in the Group C contest, the Eagles skipper told reporters: "Yes, definitely. I think he is a great player and a great personality. I think he has everything to win the next Ballon d'Or.
"I think everything that he did was great today, he showed personality, he took England to the next level. He was always asking for the ball and I think he had a great game.
"What I think is most important for such a young player is that he always takes responsibility. That is amazing to see, and you can see he is very hungry."
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