Road to World Cup 2018~France
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Saturday, May 5, 2018
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NICKNAMED “LES BLUES” MEANING THE BLUES, FRANCE NATIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM WAS CREATED IN 1904 AROUND THE TIME OF FIFA'S FOUNDATION ON 21 MAY 1904 AND CONTESTED ITS FIRST OFFICIAL INTERNATIONAL MATCH ON 1 MAY 1904 AGAINST BELGIUM IN BRUSSELS, WHICH ENDED IN A 3–3 DRAW.
THE FOLLOWING YEAR, ON 12 FEBRUARY 1905, FRANCE CONTESTED THEIR FIRST-EVER HOME MATCH AGAINST SWITZERLAND. THE MATCH WAS PLAYED AT THE PARC DES PRINCES IN FRONT OF 500 SUPPORTERS. FRANCE WON THE MATCH 1–0 WITH THE ONLY GOAL COMING FROM GASTON CYPRÈS.
DUE TO DISAGREEMENTS BETWEEN FIFA AND THE UNION DES SOCIÉTÉS FRANÇAISES DE SPORTS ATHLÉTIQUES(USFSA), THE COUNTRY'S SPORTS UNION, FRANCE STRUGGLED TO ESTABLISH AN IDENTITY. ON 9 MAY 1908, THE FRENCH INTERFEDERAL COMMITTEE (CFI), A RIVAL ORGANIZATION TO THE USFSA, RULED THAT FIFA WOULD NOW BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CLUB'S APPEARANCES IN FORTHCOMING OLYMPICS GAMES AND NOT THE USFSA.
IN 1919, THE CFI TRANSFORMED THEMSELVES INTO THE FRENCH FOOTBALL FEDERATION (FFF). IN 1921, THE USFSA FINALLY MERGED WITH THE FFF. IN JULY 1930, FRANCE APPEARED IN THE INAUGURAL FIFA WORLD CUP, HELD IN URUGUAY. IN THEIR FIRST-EVER WORLD CUP MATCH, FRANCE DEFEATED MEXICO 4–1 AT THE ESTADIO POCITOS IN MONTEVIDEO.
LUCIEN LAURENT BECAME NOTABLE IN THE MATCH AS HE SCORED NOT ONLY= FRANCE'S FIRST WORLD CUP GOAL, BUT THE FIRST GOAL IN WORLD CUP HISTORY. CONVERSELY, FRANCE ALSO BECAME THE FIRST TEAM TO NOT SCORE IN A MATCH AFTER LOSING 1–0 TO FELLOW GROUP STAGE OPPONENTS ARGENTINA.
ANOTHER LOSS TO CHILE RESULTED IN THE TEAM BOWING OUT IN THE GROUP STAGE. THE FOLLOWING YEAR SAW THE FIRST SELECTION OF A BLACK PLAYER TO THE NATIONAL TEAM. RAOUL DIAGNE, WHO WAS OF SENEGALESE DESCENT, EARNING HIS FIRST CAP ON 15 FEBRUARY IN A 2–1 DEFEAT TO CZECHOSLOVAKIA.
DIAGNE LATER PLAYED WITH THE TEAM AT THE 1938 WORLD CUP, ALONGSIDE LARBI BENBAREK, WHO WAS ONE OF THE FIRST PLAYERS OF NORTH AFRICAN ORIGIN TO PLAY FOR THE NATIONAL TEAM. AT THE 1934 WORLD CUP, FRANCE SUFFERED ELIMINATION IN THE OPENING ROUND, LOSING 3–2 TO AUSTRIA.
ON THE TEAM'S RETURN TO PARIS, THEY WERE GREETED AS HEROES BY A CROWD OF OVER 4,000 SUPPORTERS. FRANCE HOSTED THE 1938 WORLD CUP AND REACHED THE QUARTER-FINALS, LOSING 3–1 TO DEFENDING CHAMPIONS ITALY.
THE 1950S SAW FRANCE HANDED ITS FIRST GOLDEN GENERATION COMPOSED OF PLAYERS SUCH AS JUST FONTAINE, RAYMOND KOPA, JEAN VINCENT, ROBERT JONQUET, MARYAN WISNIESKI, THADÉE CISOWSKI, AND ARMAND PENVERNE. AT THE 1958 WORLD CUP, FRANCE REACHED THE SEMI-FINALS LOSING TO BRAZIL.
THE 1960S AND 70S SAW FRANCE DECLINE SIGNIFICANTLY PLAYING UNDER SEVERAL MANAGERS AND FAILING TO QUALIFY FOR NUMEROUS INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENTS. ON 25 APRIL 1964, HENRI GUÉRIN WAS OFFICIALLY INSTALLED AS THE TEAM'S FIRST MANAGER. UNDER GUÉRIN, FRANCE FAILED TO QUALIFY FOR THE 1962 WORLD CUP AND THE 1964 EUROPEAN NATIONS' CUP.
THE TEAM DID RETURN TO MAJOR INTERNATIONAL PLAY FOLLOWING QUALIFICATION FOR THE 1966 WORLD CUP, BUT LOST IN THE GROUP STAGE PORTION OF THE TOURNAMENT. GUÉRIN WAS FIRED FOLLOWING THE WORLD CUP ELIMINATION.
HE WAS REPLACED BY JOSÉ ARRIBAS AND JEAN SNELLA, WHO WORKED AS CARETAKER MANAGERS IN DUAL ROLES. THE TWO ONLY LASTED FOUR MATCHES AND WERE REPLACED BY FORMER INTERNATIONAL JUST FONTAINE, WHO ONLYLASTED TWO YEARS.
LOUIS DUGAUGUEZ SUCCEEDED FONTAINE AND, FOLLOWING HIS EARLY STRUGGLES IN QUALIFICATION FOR THE 1970 WORLD CUP, WAS FIRED AND REPLACED BY GEORGES BOULOGNE, WHO COULD NOT GET THE TEAM TO THE COMPETITION.
BOULOGNE WAS LATER FIRED FOLLOWING HIS FAILURE TO QUALIFY FOR THE 1974 WORLD CUP AND WAS REPLACED BY THE ROMANIAN ȘTEFAN KOVÁCS, WHO BECAME THE ONLY INTERNATIONAL MANAGER TO EVER MANAGE THE NATIONAL TEAM.
KOVÁCS ALSO TURNED OUT TO BE A DISAPPOINTMENT FAILING TO QUALIFY FOR THE 1974 WORLD CUP AND UEFA EURO 1976. AFTER TWO YEARS IN CHARGE, HE WAS SACKED AND REPLACED WITH MICHEL HIDALGO.
UNDER HIDALGO, FRANCE FLOURISHED, MAINLY DUE TO THE ACCOLADES OF GREAT PLAYERS LIKE DEFENDERS MARIUS TRÉSOR AND MAXIME BOSSIS, STRIKER DOMINIQUE ROCHETEAU AND MIDFIELDER MICHEL PLATINI, WHO, ALONGSIDE JEAN TIGANA, ALAIN GIRESSE AND LUIS FERNÁNDEZ FORMED THE "MAGIC SQUARE", WHICH WOULD HAUNT OPPOSING DEFENSES BEGINNING AT THE 1982 WORLD CUP, WHERE FRANCE REACHED THE SEMI-FINALS LOSING ON PENALTIES TO RIVALS
WEST GERMANY.
AT THE 1986 WORLD CUP, FRANCE WERE FAVORITES TO WIN THE COMPETITION, AND, FOR THE SECOND CONSECUTIVE WORLD CUP, REACHED THE SEMI-FINALS WHERE THEY FACED WEST GERMANY AGAIN, HOWEVER, THEY LOST. IN 1988, THE FFF OPENED THE CLAIREFONTAINE NATIONAL FOOTBALL INSTITUTE. ITS OPENING CEREMONY WAS ATTENDED BY THEN-PRESIDENT OF FRANCE, FRANÇOIS MITTERRAND.
FIVE MONTHS AFTER CLAIREFONTAINE'S OPENING, MANAGER HENRI MICHEL WAS FIRED AND WAS REPLACED BY MICHEL PLATINI, WHO FAILED TO GET THE TEAM TO THE 1990 WORLD CUP. PLATINI DID LEAD THE TEAM TO EURO 1992 AND, DESPITE GOING ON A 19-MATCH UNBEATEN STREAK PRIOR TO THE COMPETITION, SUFFERED ELIMINATION IN THE GROUP STAGE.
A WEEK AFTER THE COMPLETION OF THE TOURNAMENT, PLATINI STEPPED DOWN AS MANAGER AND WAS REPLACED BY HIS ASSISTANT GÉRARD HOULLIER.
UNDER HOULLIER, FRANCE AND ITS SUPPORTERS EXPERIENCED A HEARTBREAKING MELTDOWN AFTER HAVING QUALIFICATION TO THE 1994 WORLD CUP ALL BUT SECURED WITH TWO MATCHES TO GO, WHICH WERE AGAINST LAST PLACE ISRAEL AND BULGARIA.
IN THE MATCH AGAINST ISRAEL, FRANCE WERE UPSET 3–2 AND, IN THE BULGARIA MATCH, SUFFERED AN ASTRONOMICAL 2–1 DEFEAT. THE SUBSEQUENT BLAME AND PUBLIC OUTCRY LED TO THE FIRING OF HOULLIER AND DEPARTURE OF SEVERAL PLAYERS FROM THE NATIONAL TEAM FOLD. HIS ASSISTANT AIMÉ JACQUET WAS GIVEN HIS POST.
UNDER JACQUET, THE NATIONAL TEAM EXPERIENCED ITS TRIUMPHANT YEARS. THE SQUAD COMPOSED OF VETERANS THAT FAILED TO REACH THE 1994 FIFA WORLD CUP WERE JOINED BY INFLUENTIAL YOUNGSTERS, SUCH AS ZINEDINE ZIDANE. THE TEAM STARTED OFF WELL REACHING THE SEMI-FINALS OF EURO 1996, WHERE THEY LOST 6–5 ON PENALTIES TO THE CZECH REPUBLIC.
1998 FIFA WORLD CUP: HISTORY IS MADE!
IN THE TEAM'S NEXT MAJOR TOURNAMENT AT THE 1998 WORLD CUP AT HOME, JACQUET LED FRANCE TO GLORY DEFEATING BRAZIL 3–0 IN THE FINAL AT THE STADE DE FRANCE IN PARIS. JACQUET STEPPED DOWN AFTER THE COUNTRY'S WORLD CUP TRIUMPH AND WAS SUCCEEDED BY ASSISTANT ROGER LEMERRE WHO GUIDED THEM THROUGH EURO 2000. LED BY FIFA WORLD PLAYER OF THE YEAR ZIDANE, FRANCE DEFEATED ITALY 2–1 IN THE FINAL WITH DAVID TREZEGUET
SCORING THE GOLDEN GOAL IN EXTRA TIME.
THE VICTORY GAVE THE TEAM THE DISTINCTION OF BEING THE FIRST NATIONAL TEAM TO HOLD BOTH THE WORLD CUP AND EURO TITLES SINCE WEST GERMANY DID SO IN 1974, AND IT WAS ALSO THE FIRST TIME THAT A REIGNING WORLD CUP WINNER WENT ON TO CAPTURE THE EURO. FOLLOWING THE RESULT, THE FRANCE NATIONAL TEAM WAS INSERTED TO THE NUMBER ONE SPOT IN THE FIFA WORLD RANKINGS.
2002 FIFA WORLD CUP SHOCK!
ALTHOUGH, THE TEAM WON THE 2001 FIFA CONFEDERATIONS CUP, FRANCE SUFFERED A STUNNING GOALLESS FIRST ROUND ELIMINATION AT THE 2002 WORLD CUP. ONE OF THE GREATEST SHOCKS IN WORLD CUP HISTORY SAW FRANCE CONDEMNED TO A 1–0 DEFEAT TO DEBUTANTES SENEGAL IN THE OPENING GAME OF THE TOURNAMENT. FRANCE BECAME THE SECOND NATION TO BE ELIMINATED IN
THE FIRST ROUND WHILE HOLDING THE WORLD CUP CROWN, THE FIRST ONE BEING BRAZIL IN 1966.
AFTER THE 2010 AND 2014 WORLD CUPS, ITALY AND SPAIN WERE ALSO ADDED TO THIS LIST. AFTER FRANCE FINISHED BOTTOM OF THE GROUP, LEMERRE WAS DISMISSED AND WAS REPLACED BY JACQUES SANTINI. A FULL STRENGTH TEAM STARTED OUT STRONGLY AT EURO 2004, BUT THEY WERE UPSET IN THE QUARTER-FINALS BY THE EVENTUAL WIINERS GREECE.
SANTINI RESIGNED AS COACH AND RAYMOND DOMENECH WAS PICKED AS HIS REPLACEMENT. FRANCE STRUGGLED IN THE EARLY QUALIFIERS FOR THE 2006 WORLD CUP. THIS PROMPTED DOMENECH TO PERSUADE SEVERAL PAST MEMBERS OUT OF INTERNATIONAL RETIREMENT TO HELP THE NATIONAL TEAM QUALIFY, WHICH THEY ACCOMPLISHED FOLLOWING A CONVINCING 4–0 WIN OVER CYPRUS ON THE FINAL DAY OF QUALIFYING.
IN THE 2006 WORLD CUP FINAL STAGES, FRANCE FINISHED UNDEFEATED IN THE GROUP STAGE PORTION AND ADVANCED ALL THE WAY TO THE FINAL DEFEATING THE LIKES OF SPAIN, BRAZIL AND PORTUGAL EN ROUTE.
FRANCE PLAYED ITALY IN THE FINAL. AN EXTRA TIME CONTROVERSIAL DISRUPTIONS, LED TO CAPTAIN ZINEDINE ZIDANE BEING SENT OFF, FAILED TO FIND A WINNING GOAL, ITALY WINNING 5–3 ON PENALTIES TO BE CROWNED WORLD CUP CHAMPIONS.
IN THE 2010 WORLD CUP FINAL STAGES, THE TEAM CONTINUED TO PERFORM UNDER EXPECTATIONS AND WERE ELIMINATED IN THE GROUP STAGE. MIDWAY THROUGH THE COMPETITION, STRIKER NICOLAS ANELKA WAS DISMISSED FROM THE NATIONAL TEAM AFTER REPORTEDLY HAVING A DISPUTE, IN WHICH OBSCENITIES WERE PASSED, WITH TEAM MANAGER RAYMOND DOMENECH DURING HALF-TIME OF THE TEAM'S LOSS TO MEXICO.
THE RESULTING DISAGREEMENT OVER ANELKA'S EXPULSION BETWEEN THE PLAYERS, THE COACHING STAFF AND FFF OFFICIALS RESULTED IN THE PLAYERS BOYCOTTING TRAINING BEFORE THEIR THIRD GAME.
IN RESPONSE TO THE TRAINING BOYCOTT, SPORTS MINISTER ROSELYNE BACHELOT LECTURED THE PLAYERS AND "REDUCED FRANCE'S DISGRACED WORLD CUP STARS TO TEARS WITH AN EMOTIONAL SPEECH ON THE EVE OF THEIR FINAL GROUP A MATCH"
FRANCE THEN LOST THEIR FINAL GAME 2–1 TO THE HOSTS SOUTH AFRICA AND FAILED TO ADVANCE. THE DAY AFTER THE TEAM'S ELIMINATION, IT WAS REPORTED BY NUMEROUS MEDIA OUTLETS THAT THEN PRESIDENT OF FRANCE, NICOLAS SARKOZY WOULD MEET WITH TEAM CAPTAIN THIERRY HENRY TO DISCUSS THE ISSUES ASSOCIATED WITH THE TEAM'S MELTDOWN AT THE WORLD CUP, AT HENRY'S REQUEST, AFTER THE SAID MEETING, FEDERATION PRESIDENT JEAN-PIERRE ESCALETTES RESIGNED FROM HIS POSITION.
AT EURO 2012 IN POLAND AND UKRAINE, FRANCE REACHED THE QUARTER-FINALS, WHERE THEY WERE BEATEN BY EVENTUAL CHAMPIONS SPAIN. FOLLOWING THE TOURNAMENT, COACH LAURENT BLANC RESIGNED AND WAS SUCCEEDED BY DIDIER DESCHAMPS, WHO CAPTAINED FRANCE TO GLORY IN THE 1998 WORLD CUP AND EURO 2000.
HIS TEAM QUALIFIED FOR THE 2014 WORLD CUP BY BEATING UKRAINE IN THE PLAYOFFS, AND DESCHAMPS THEN EXTENDED HIS CONTRACT TILL EURO 2016. MISSING STAR MIDFIELDER FRANCK RIBÉRY THROUGH INJURY, FRANCE LOST TO EVENTUAL CHAMPIONS GERMANY IN THE QUARTER-FINALS COURTESY OF AN EARLY GOAL BY MATS HUMMELS. PAUL POGBA WAS AWARDED THE BEST YOUNG PLAYER AWARD DURING THE TOURNAMENT.
FRANCE AUTOMATICALLY QUALIFIED AS HOSTS FOR EURO 2016. BENZEMA AND HATEM BEN ARFA WERE NOT IN THE SQUAD. FRANCE WERE DRAWN IN GROUP A OF THE TOURNAMENT ALONGSIDE ROMANIA, SWITZERLAND AND MINNOWS ALBANIA. FRANCE WON THEIR GROUP WITH WINS OVER ROMANIA AND ALBANIA AND A GOALLESS DRAW AGAINST SWITZERLAND AND WERE POISED TO FACE THE REPUBLIC OF IRELAND IN THE ROUND OF 16.
2018 FIFA WORLD CUP
FRANCE WERE POTTED IN GROUP A OF THE UEFA ZONE OF THE 2018 WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS ALONG WITH NETHERLANDS AND SWEDEN. LES BLEUS HAD A SHAKY START TO THEIR CAMPAIGN AS THEY BEGAN WITH A 0-0 DRAW AGAINST BELARUS AT BARYSAW. THEY BOUNCED BACK WITH A 4-1 THRASHING OF BULGARIA WHICH WAS FOLLOWED BY A 1-0 WIN AGAINST NETHERLANDS AT AMSTERDAM.
FRANCE WON ANOTHER TWO MATCHES AGAINST LUXENBOURG AND SWEDEN BEFORE BEING BEATEN BY THE SWEDES IN THE RETURN LEG AT SOLNA. FRANCE WENT THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE QUALIFYING UNBEATEN AND TOPPED THEIR GROUP TO QUALIFY FOR THEIR 15TH FIFA WORLD CUP.
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