ZINEDINE ZIDANE TURNS DOWN USMNT’S OFFER TO BE HEAD COACH

According to L’Equipe, Zinedine Zidane has turned down a lucrative offer to replace Gregg Berhalter as head coach of the United States men’s national football team.

The US FA offered the former World Cup-winning France legend a lucrative three-year contract that would culminate in the 2026 World Cup. The next World Cup will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Zidane, on the other hand, rejected the deal because he planned to stay in Europe. Since he coached Real Madrid for two seasons, the former attacking midfielder has been without a club (2016-18 and 2019-2021).

There was talk of the 50-year-old taking over the French national team from Didier Deschamps before the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar. But, on Saturday, the France FA extended Deschamps’ contract for three more years after he led France to a World Cup victory in 2018 and a runner-up finish in the 2022 World Cup.

Berhalter is currently under investigation after a domestic violence incident from 1991 surfaced recently. After guiding the USMNT to a quarterfinal finish in Qatar last month, his contract expired last week, and Anthony Hudson is now serving as the interim manager for the USMNT’s international assignments in January.