[France24] Several France players have caught colds, the French Football Federation said, as the team prepares for the World Cup final against Argentina, with defenders Raphaël Varane and Ibrahima Konaté the latest to fall ill on Friday. FRANCE 24’s special correspondents report from Qatar on this mystery illness. Varane, Konaté and striker Kingsley Coman were all sidelined as Les Bleus were preparing to take on Lionel Messi's Argentina in Sunday's final.
The trio of absentees sparked further fears of a mystery virus in the French camp after two players — midfielder Adrien Rabiot and defender Dayot Upamecano — were ruled out of the semi-final win over Morocco.
Rabiot and Upamecano both returned to training on Friday. Manager Didier Deschamps refused to panic after Wednesday's win and said they were being careful to ensure the illness did not spread.