Overview

• Wilfried Zaha posted a furious social-media message rejecting Jean-Philippe Mateta’s suggestion he belittled his international ambitions, calling the account “disgusting.”
• He says the discussion about Mateta’s chances with France involved roughly 10 Palace players and was light-hearted, not bullying.
• Zaha says he publicly congratulated Mateta on Instagram and accuses him of using Zaha’s name as part of a “come up” narrative.
• In an interview with L’Équipe, Mateta said teammates including Zaha laughed when he spoke about playing for France early in his Palace stint.
• Mateta recently received his first France call-up, debuting last week and scoring in a 2-2 draw with Iceland on Monday.