Update: Benjamin Pavard denies accusations of toxicity in the French dressing room

According to French journalist and renowned football insider Romain Molina, Bayern Munich star Benjamin Pavard was a serious problem for France at the FIFA World Cup. The 26-year-old, a veteran of the triumph in 2018, is accused of making inappropriate remarks about his teammates, creating a toxic atmosphere in the dressing room, arguing with Didier Deschamps and the coaching staff, and even leaking details to the press.

This seems a bit outlandish for just one guy, but it would explain Pavard’s limited role in the World Cup this year. Jules Kounde, who plies his trade at center-back for FC Barcelona, was preferred instead — showing the degree to which the coaching staff had lost faith in him.

A long slew of quotes can be found courtesy of the ever-reliable @iMiaSanMia:

Pavard has always been considered one of Deschamps’ favourites by several players. According to them, there’s a gap between his performances and the status he claims.

The coaching staff criticized Pavard, which the player didn’t accept and he started to respond with words. That made the staff angry because they had protected him for years despite his average performances sometimes [@Romain_Molina] (via @iMiaSanMia)

Pavard is being accused by some of his France teammates of leaking internal dressing room stuff to the press due to his relationship with certain journalists [@Romain_Molina] (via @iMiaSanMia)

This wouldn’t be the first time Benjamin Pavard has stirred controversy or fallen afoul of his French national team teammates. Last year, reports said that the right-back was not trusted by his fellow players. Then there was the verbal spat with Paul Pogba, which happened in public. Meanwhile, while not directly related to the dressing room issues, Pavard did get busted for drunk-driving by the Munich police earlier in the year.

L’Equipe already reported tensions during the World Cup, long before France was knocked out. Overall, these stories tend to come from reliable sources, and they paint a consistent picture. Right now, Benjamin Pavard seems reluctant to extend his contract with Bayern Munich. Come next summer, that feeling may become mutual.

Update

As expected, Pavard’s camp denies the accusations.

This problem with Pavard is not a new thing — he’s had a pattern of odd (and somewhat egotistical) behavior that us here on BFW have noticed and discussed recently on our podcast. We recorded it before the Molina leaks, so they don’t color our opinions. Do check it out and let us know what you think. Listen below or on Spotify.

As always, we appreciate all the support!