Why Kylian Mbappe can’t wear France’s mask despite a broken nose as a little-known rule prevents him from using it during matches

A little-known UEFA rule prevented Kylian Mbappe from protecting his broken nose with a special France-themed mask at Euro 2024.

Mbappe will have to wear a mask for the rest of the tournament after suffering a serious injury in France’s opening match, but will have to comply with UEFA regulations regarding such equipment.

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After headbutting Austrian defender Kevin Danso, the Frenchman was left badly bloodied when he accidentally headbutted the defender’s shoulder.

There were fears Mbappe would miss the entire tournament after it was confirmed he had broken his nose and was taken to hospital.

He will return for France in their match against the Netherlands after being named on the substitutes’ bench just a day after being seen on Thursday wearing a mask in the tricolor colors of the national flag.

However, UEFA rules state that he will not be able to wear the mask during a match, as the regulations state that medical equipment “must be of a single color and free from any team and manufacturer identification “.

The full law states: “Medical equipment (e.g.: head protection, face masks, casts, knee or knee pads, elbow pads): Medical equipment worn on the field of play must be of a single color and free from any identification of the team and manufacturer.

“Items worn on the legs and arms must be the same color as the corresponding playing outfit (for example: elbow pads or tape used on the arm in the same color as the shirt sleeves and knee pads in the same color than the shorts).”

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Instead, Mbappe wore a plain black mask during pre-match warm-ups for the game against the Netherlands.

Mbappe, who signed for Real Madrid in the summer from Paris Saint-Germain, had previously asked on social media what his choice of mask should be, unsurprisingly sparking a huge reaction from fans – and even players .

His compatriot, Neal Maupay, responded with a classically cheeky response – with a photo of his own face as a mask.

France take on the Netherlands, live on talkSPORT, in a match which could decide the winner of Group D – with both nations winning their opening matches.

However, talkSPORT pundit Jason Cundy does not believe the 25-year-old will be back before the knockout stage.

He told Sports Bar: “Deschamps knows the victory put them through to the knockout stages. They obviously want to take the lead, but there’s no need to rush it now.

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“The next time you will see Mbappé is in the round of 16. Why would you need to rush it?

“They played two games in less than a week. He will not start the next match.”

France won their opening match 1–0 against Austria when Maximillian Wober scored an own goal.

However, despite being one of the big favorites to win the competition in Germany this summer, they did not look convincing in their first match.