Kolo Muani has tried Mbappé's protective mask and it was an eye-opener: 'You really see nothing'

France striker Randal Kolo Muani didn’t quite appreciate the difficulty teammate Kylian Mbappé was experiencing wearing a protective mask at Euro 2024 until he tried it on.

“You really see nothing,” Kolo Muani said Sunday. “Nothing.”

A broken nose — and the need to wear a vision-limiting mask to cover it – partly explains Mbappé’s relatively subdued displays so far at the European Championship. He has scored just one goal in four games, and that was from the penalty spot.

Still, Kolo Muani jumped to his captain’s defense at a news conference at France’s training base in Paderborn in Germany, praising his leadership skills and saying there was still time for Mbappé to make a difference at Euro 2024.

France plays Spain in Munich in the semifinals on Tuesday.

“It’s natural for him,” Kolo Muani said of the 25-year-old Mbappé being captain. “He has this gift of carrying the team, the group. He gives ideas and advice to the players.

“He was born for this. He was born to pull the group upward.”

Mbappé has also been struggling with some physical problems that he believes won’t be cleared up until he has a full preseason with new club Real Madrid.

Kolo Muani believes that even if Mbappé isn’t at his full potential, he can still drive France to the title.

“To see him not score, it’s up to us to help him, to push him,” Kolo Muani said. “The competition is not over. Apart from his little broken nose, he’s OK physically.”

AP Euro 2024: https://apnews.com/hub/euro-2024

France's Randal Kolo Muani gestures as he speaks during a press conference in Paderborn, Germany, Sunday, July 7, 2024. France will play against Spain during their semifinal soccer match at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament on July 9. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

France's Randal Kolo Muani speaks during a press conference in Paderborn, Germany, Sunday, July 7, 2024. France will play against Spain during their semifinal soccer match at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament on July 9. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Kylian Mbappe of France during a quarter final match between Portugal and France at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Hamburg, Germany, Friday, July 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

Kylian Mbappe of France sits on the pitch after an injury during a quarter final match between Portugal and France at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Hamburg, Germany, Friday, July 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)

Kylian Mbappe of France is checked out for an injury during a quarter final match between Portugal and France at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Hamburg, Germany, Friday, July 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)

Kylian Mbappe of France reacts after an injury during a quarter final match between Portugal and France at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Hamburg, Germany, Friday, July 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)

Kylian Mbappe of France reacts after missing an opportunity during a quarter final match between Portugal and France at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Hamburg, Germany, Friday, July 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)

TALLADEGA, Ala. (AP) — It's most fitting that NASCAR this weekend races at Talladega Superspeedway, sight of one of the first major disputes between drivers and the top stock car series in the United States.

It was at the Alabama track's 1969 debut race when the NASCAR-despised Professional Driver Association led by Richard Petty deemed the track too dangerous and not ready for competition.

The PDA wanted to postpone the race, NASCAR founder Bill France said no and things quickly turned contentious. So 36 of NASCAR's regulars boycotted the event, but France made sure the show went on without them.

And now here we are, 55 years later, back at Talladega with the France family again under challenge. This time from only two teams — the Michael Jordan-owned 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports — who this week filed an antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR over its charter system.

The two organizations are the only ones among 15 that refused to sign the take-it-or-leave-it agreement NASCAR dropped on the owners 48 hours before last month's playoff opener. They filed suit Wednesday against NASCAR, which is in the thick of the playoffs with six races remaining starting Sunday at Talladega.

“It's obviously the biggest story in the sport currently, and probably one of the biggest stories in a long time,” Hendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson said.

And so instead of the focus being on Sunday's middle race of the round of 12, where drivers need to secure their spot in the standings ahead of next week's elimination race at Charlotte, the talk is centered on the brewing legal battle.

Denny Hamlin, the three-time Daytona 500 winner who co-owns 23XI Racing with Jordan, said the lawsuit won't distract him from trying to win his first Cup Series championship. In fact, he's more motivated than ever. Hamlin is ranked fifth in the standings and a two-time Talladega winner.

"Make no mistake, the competitor in me, you don’t think I don’t want to come out here and win this weekend more than any?” Hamlin bristled Saturday. "That’s what I fuel myself on, making the 18-footer on hole 18 to win the match. Like, I live for those moments.

“Anyone that knows me personally will tell you that these moments, you’ll typically get more out of Denny, because I hate to lose and certainly will not justify any excuses to losing.”

Hall of Fame team owner Richard Childress confirmed to Fox Sports that NASCAR dropped the more than 100-page charter agreement — which is essentially the revenue sharing model — on Richard Childress Racing at 6:37 p.m. on Friday night Sept. 6, with a midnight deadline to sign it "or we'd lose our charters.

“I didn't have a choice because we had to sign,” Childress told Fox Sports. “We've got over 400 employees, contracts, and I've got to take care of my team.”

Michael McDowell won his fifth pole of the season on a superspeedway Saturday to give Front Row Motorsports — the other team in the antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR — the top starting spot at Talladega.

McDowell is not in the playoffs.

He has won six poles this year starting with Atlanta Motor Speedway in the second event of the season. McDowell was also the fastest qualifier in NASCAR's return to Atlanta, as well as both Talladega races and the August race in Daytona. His sixth pole was at Gateway outside St. Louis and that is not a superspeedway.

The record for most consecutive superspeedway poles is held by Bill Elliott, who won six straight at Talladega from 1985 through 1987. Elliott won two of those six races.

McDowell turned a lap at 183.063 mph to lead a Ford driver sweep in qualifying. Austin Cindric qualified second for Team Penske and McDowell teammate Todd Gilliland qualified third.

Kyle Busch, who is desperately trying to keep his streak of winning at least one race a year for a 20th consecutive season, qualified fourth in a Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing.

Ryan Blaney, the reigning Cup Series champion and Penske teammate with Cindric, was fifth and followed by teammate Joey Logano and RCR driver Austin Dillon.

Hamlin was the highest-qualifying Toyota driver at eighth.

Tyler Reddick won Talladega in the spring as part of his march to the regular-season championship. But as he heads into Sunday's race, he's below the cutline for elimination and struggling to understand what happened to his 23XI Racing Toyota.

Reddick has an average finish of 19th through the first four races with one top-10 finish and 21 stage points. He was 25th last week at Kansas Speedway, where he won a year ago.

“Yeah, at this point it’s definitely a head-scratcher,” Reddick continued. “I feel like all of us coming off of the regular season, I felt no change in what I was doing. I don’t think anyone on this team has either. We just haven’t been putting together good races. We haven’t had speed; we haven’t been able to get stage points. It’s been tough.”

Reddick vowed to race Talladega on Sunday as he normally would and has no concern that NASCAR will be scrutinizing him because his race team is suing the sanctioning body.

“Not worried at all,” Reddick said.

NASCAR has supplied a new part to teams ahead of Sunday's race as part of an aerodynamic change designed to stop cars from going airborne.

The change is intended to increase the speed required for the cars to lift off. Josh Berry flipped in August at Daytona International Speedway, the same race where Michael McDowell went airborne but did not flip.

One week earlier, Corey LaJoie flipped at Michigan International Speedway.

The new parts add a rocker skirt to the side of the cars, while fabric was added to the inside of the right roof flap. The right-side roof rails were extended two inches with polycarbonate.

Talladega is a 2.66-mile oval with 33-degree banking.

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

Tyler Reddick (45) has his tires changed on pit road during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kan., Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Colin E. Braley)

Denny Hamlin (11) leads Chase Briscoe (14) and Christopher Bell (20) during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024, in Bristol, Tenn. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)

FILE - Kyle Busch interacts with spectators while walking down a runway during driver introductions before a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Daytona International Speedway, Aug. 24, 2024, in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, File)

FILE - 23XI Racing co-owner Michael Jordan stands in the pit area during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Talladega Superspeedway, Sunday, April 21, 2024, in Talladega. Ala. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart, File)

Christopher Bell (20), Kyle Busch (8), William Byron (24), Tyler Reddick (45), Joey Logano (22) and Ryan Blaney (12) head down the front straightaway after a caution flag during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kan., Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Colin E. Braley)