France have faced a series of organisational crises and internal disputes during Zinedine Zidane’s early months in charge, despite strong results on the pitch. The problems within the national-team setup include administrative issues, staff affairs and a serious clash in the equipment department.
France prepare for the new international break
France are gearing up for the new international break, with players arriving at the Clairefontaine centre on Monday ahead of a clash with Italy on Thursday, before a meeting with Belgium. Zidane hopes to use the camp to keep developing the team and embedding his ideas, especially with several new faces coming in, including Pablo Pagis and Saël Kumbedi.
Incidents within the setup
L’Équipe reports that problems within the French national team go beyond results or tactics and extend to the way certain organisational files and staff affairs are run.
During last September’s international break, the most glaring organisational error described by L’Équipe was a sock incident against Belgium, which delayed kick-off and led to the French Football Federation receiving a 10,000-euro fine for using tape in a colour that breached regulations.
L’Équipe reports that Kylian Mbappé appeared holding the Turkish flag on his own after the two teams walked out. L’Équipe also reports that Michael Olise had to clear away a warm-up tray left on the pitch once both national anthems had played before last September’s Italy match. Zidane could not hear the start of the French anthem in İzmit, according to L’Équipe.
Equipment officials involved in a dispute
L’Équipe revealed a sharp dispute between two equipment officials that erupted into a furious verbal clash and drove one of them to take sick leave. According to L’Équipe, the dispute involved Bastien Giray, the first team’s equipment official promoted after working with the France Under-21 side, and Kamel Lahlouh, whose close relationship with Fabien Barthez helped smooth his path into an administrative role.
L’Équipe reports that a heated verbal exchange broke out between Giray and Lahlouh during their first meeting. According to L’Équipe, tension rose to the point where Giray feared his colleague was about to physically assault him, so he reported the incident to officials. L’Équipe claims that no decisive action followed to defuse the crisis between the equipment officials.
L’Équipe reports that Giray believed his superiors were avoiding taking a clear stance for fear of upsetting people close to Zidane, and that he later went on sick leave.
Changes to staffing and security roles
Julien Mimito, the former technical director of the France Under-21 team, will cover Giray’s absence during the current November camp.
The French Football Federation has published an internal advert for an assistant to team director Laurent George. The federation is also preparing to reorganise the security official’s post following accusations against Mohamed Senhaji.
The France squad includes some of the biggest stars in world football but faces challenges that have nothing to do with the pitch.
