Didier Deschamps stepped back into the France camp at East Rutherford on Monday, his mind fixed on a World Cup knockout tie against Sweden barely 72 hours after burying his mother. The 57-year-old, in his final tournament as head coach, had flown home mid-group stage when Ginette Deschamps died, missing the 4-1 win over Norway. On his return, he was met by a squad determined to channel private grief into a collective push. “We want to find something to celebrate together,” midfielder Adrien Rabiot said. “It’s the least we can do.”

That sentiment was tested almost immediately by a Charlie Hebdo cartoon depicting Deschamps hoisting an urn marked “Maman” like a trophy, with the caption “Deschamps brings the cup home.” The drawing ignited condemnation across French political and sporting life. The president of the French Football Federation, Philippe Diallo, called it “shocking … disrespectful and indecent,” while a lawmaker from La France Insoumise wrote that “Deschamps is not just a public figure: he is a grieving son.” The federation stressed it defended free expression, but the episode underscored the tension between satire and private pain in a country still marked by the 2015 attack on the magazine’s offices.

Deschamps himself, speaking at a press conference viewed from Paris to Buenos Aires, was measured. “I’m fine. It’s good to keep busy,” he said, acknowledging he had been “devastated” in the days after the loss. He confirmed that FIFA had denied a request for black armbands during the Norway match, but shrugged it off: “I’ve had enough signs of affection. It wouldn’t have changed anything.” His focus was already on the round of 16, where France enter as group winners with 10 goals scored and only two conceded, joint-top scorers alongside the Netherlands and Germany. Kylian Mbappé, with 16 World Cup goals, sits one behind Lionel Messi’s record, and Deschamps described him as “on a mission.”

Sweden, by contrast, arrive with nothing to lose. Deschamps warned of the pace of Anthony Elanga and the relentless running of Viktor Gyökeres and Alexander Isak, noting that a 5-1 defeat to the Netherlands in the group stage was “severe” given the chances they created. The French camp is managing minor fitness concerns: Marcus Thuram has a muscular issue, while centre-back William Saliba is nursing a back complaint but is expected to play. “He’s at 99 per cent, and that’s enough,” Deschamps said. The knockout format leaves no margin for error, and for a squad still processing its coach’s loss, the match offers a chance to turn sorrow into momentum.