The France national football team was created in
1904 around the same 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.
[1] 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. Prior to the
FIFA World Cup, the country's major international competition was the
Summer Olympics. At the
1908 Summer Olympics, France sent two teams to the competition, a rare occurrence, due to a disagreement between
FIFA and the
Union des Sociétés Françaises de Sports Athlétiques (USFSA), the country's
sports union. At the competition, both teams struggled with France B (USFSA) losing in the opening round and France A (FIFA) losing in the following round. Following the Olympics, 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. The USFSA disagreed, but due to disorganization in later years, became semi-affiliated with the CFI in
1913. In 1919, the CFI transformed themselves into the
French Football Federation. In
1921, the USFSA finally merged with the French Football Federation.
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. France later lost 1–0 to fellow group stage opponents
Argentina and
Chile resulting 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, earned his first cap on 15 February in a 2–1 defeat to
Czechoslovakia. Diagne later played with the team at the
1938 FIFA World Cup, alongside
Larbi Benbarek, who was the first player of
North African origin to play for the national team. At the
1934 FIFA World Cup, France suffered elimination in the opening round. The group stage used in the first World Cup was discarded in favor of a straight knockout tournament. In the opening round match, against
Austria, France lost 3–2 following extra time goals from Anton Schall and
Josef Bican. On the team's return to
Paris, they were greeted as heroes by a crowd of over 4,000 supporters. Two years later, on 24 February 1936,
Gaston Barreau was officially installed as the team's first
manager. Barreau, who headed a player selection committee which officially headed the team, had unofficially managed the team since
1919.
France hosted the
1938 FIFA World Cup and reached the quarter-finals before losing 3–1 to the defending champions
Italy, who later went on to defend their title. Due to the development of
World War II, national team play was put on hold, returned, then was put on hold for a second time before finally returning on a permanent basis following the conclusion of the war. The first suspension of play lasted from 29 January 1940 until 8 March 1942 when France returned to play losing 2–0 to Switzerland. France contested one more match before play was suspended again on 16 March 1942. After over two and a half years of dormancy, France returned to play on
Christmas Eve 1944 defeating Belgium 3–1 in
Paris.
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 FIFA World Cup, France reached the semi-finals losing to
Brazil, who won the match 5–2, courtesy of a
hat trick from
Pelé. In the third place match, France defeated West Germany 6–2 with Fontaine recording four goals, which brought his goal tally in the competition to 13, a World Cup record. The record still stands today. France hosted the inaugural
UEFA European Football Championship in
1960 and, for the second straight international tournament, reached the semi-finals. In the round, France faced
Yugoslavia and were shocked 5–4 despite being up 4–2 heading into the 75
th minute. In the third place match, France were defeated 2–0 by the Czechoslovakians.
The
1960s and
70s saw France decline significantly playing under several different managers and failing to qualify for numerous international tournaments. Under
Henri Guérin, France failed to qualify for the
1962 FIFA World Cup and the
1964 European Nations' Cup. The team did return to major international play following qualification for the
1966 FIFA World Cup. The team lost in the group stage portion of the tournament. Guérin was fired following the World Cup. He was replaced by
José Arribas and
Jean Snella, who worked as
caretaker managersin dual roles. The two only lasted four matches and were replaced by former international
Just Fontaine, who only lasted two.
Louis Dugauguez succeeded Fontaine and, following his early struggles in
qualification for the
1970 FIFA World Cup, was fired. Dugauguez was replaced by
Georges Boulogne, who couldn't get the team to the World Cup. Boulogne was later fired following failure to qualify for the
1974 FIFA World Cup. Boulogne also failed to get the team to
UEFA Euro 1972. He was replaced by the
Romanian Stefan Kovacs, who became the first and, to this day, only international manager to ever manage the national team. Kovács also turned out to be a disappointment failing to qualify for the
1974 FIFA World Cup and
UEFA Euro 1976. After two years in charge, he was sacked and replaced with
Michel Hidalgo.
France earned their first major international honor two years later, winning
UEFA Euro 1984, which they hosted. Under the leadership of Platini, who scored a tournament-high nine goals, France defeated
Spain 2–0 with Platini and
Bruno Bellone scoring the goals. Following the Euro triumph, Hidalgo departed the team and was replaced by former international
Henri Michel. France later completed the hat trick when they won gold at the
1984 Summer Olympics football tournament and, a year later, defeated Uruguay 2–0 to win the
Artemio Franchi Trophy, an early precursor to the
FIFA Confederations Cup. In a span of a year, France were holders of three of the four major international trophies. At the
1986 FIFA 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. A 4–2 victory over Belgium gave France third place. A year later, Platini retired from both club and international football.
In
1988, the
French Football Federation 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 FIFA World Cup. Platini did lead the team to
UEFA Euro 1992 and, despite going on an impressive 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 FIFA 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 following a
monumental and costly mistake by midfielder David Ginola in the last minute of play. The public outcry, following the defeat, led to the firing of Houllier. His assistant
Aimé Jacquet was given his post.
Under Jacquet, the national team experienced its triumphant years. The squad composed of
Didier Deschamps,
Laurent Blanc,
Emmanuel Petit,
Marcel Desailly, and
Bixente Lizarazu that failed to reach the 1994 FIFA World Cup were joined by influential youngsters
Lilian Thuram,
Zinédine Zidane,
Patrick Vieira,
Thierry Henry,
Claude Makélélé, and
David Trezeguet. The team started off well reaching the semi-finals of
UEFA Euro 1996 where they lost 6–5 on penalties to the
Czech Republic. After the competition, coach Jacquet adopted a very defensive strategy, which was often derided by supporters. The press also began to attack the team manager, calling his methods "
Paleolithic," and claiming that the team had no hope in winning the
1998 FIFA World Cup, which would be hosted in their home country. However, despite the constant criticism, Jacquet and his strategy led the team to
World Cup glory defeating Brazil 3–0 in the final at the
Stade de France. Jacquet stepped down after the country's World Cup triumph and was succeeded by assistant
Roger Lemerre who guided them through
UEFA Euro 2000. Led by
FIFA World Player of the Year Zidane, France defeated
Italy 2–1 in the final. Trezeguet scored the golden goal in
extra timeafter
Sylvain Wiltord drew the match in the fifth minute of
injury 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, France were inserted to the prestigious number one spot in the
FIFA World Rankings.
France failed to maintain that pace in subsequent tournaments. Although, the team won the
Confederations Cup in 2001, France suffered a stunning goalless first round elimination at the
2002 FIFA 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. After France finished bottom of the group, Lemerre was dismissed and was replaced by
Jacques Santini. A full strength team started out strongly in
UEFA Euro 2004, but they were upset in the quarter-finals by the eventual winners
Greece. Santini resigned as coach and
Raymond Domenech was picked as his replacement.
France struggled in the early qualifiers for the
2006 FIFA World Cup. This prompted Domenech to persuade members Makélélé, Thuram, and Zidane out of international retirement to help the national team qualify, which they accomplished following a convincing 4–0 win over
Cypruson the final day of qualifying. The team was greeted with modest expectations as it entered the tournament and began slowly drawing with both Switzerland and the
Korea Republic in their first two matches. Following a respectable 2–0 win over
Togo, France found their form and advanced all the way to the final defeating the likes of
Spain, Brazil, and
Portugal along the way. At home, when news came of France's victory over Portugal in the semi-finals, there were mass celebrations at the
Eiffel Tower and
Arc de Triomphe. France took on
Italy in the final and despite
controversial disruptions in extra time, France failed to get on the score-sheet and Italy eventually won the penalty shoot-out 5–3 to be crowned champions of the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
France started its
qualifying round for
UEFA Euro 2008 strong and qualified for the tournament, despite two shocking defeats to
Scotland. Despite high expectations from supporters, France bowed out during the group stage portion of the tournament after having been placed in the
group of death. France's performance at Euro 2008 effectively marked the end of its golden era with
Patrick Vieira and
Thierry Henryremaining with the team following the uneventful Euro performance. Despite pressure from supporters and world media, alike, to fire Domenech, the federation retained him as manager.
Just like the team's previous World Cup qualifying campaign, the 2010 campaign got off to a disappointing start with the France suffering disastrous losses and earning uninspired victories. France eventually finished second in the group and earned a spot in the UEFA play-offs against the
Republic of Ireland for a place in
South Africa. In the first leg, France defeated the Irish 1–0 and in the second leg procured a 1–1 draw, via
controversial circumstances, to qualify for the World Cup.
[edit]Home stadium
During France's early run of existence, the team's
national stadium alternated between the
Parc des Princes in
Paris and the
Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir in
Colombes. France also hosted matches at the
Stade Pershing,
Stade de Paris, and the
Stade Buffalo, but to a minimal degree. As the years moved forward, France began hosting matches outside the city of Paris hosting matches at such venues as the
Stade Marcel Saupin in
Nantes, the
Stade Vélodrome in
Marseille, the
Stade de Gerland in
Lyon, and the
Stade de la Meinau in
Strasbourg, to name a few. Following the renovation of the Parc des Princes in
1972, which made the stadium the largest in terms of attendance, France moved into the venue permanently. The team still hosted
friendly matches and minor
FIFA World Cup and
UEFA European Football Championship qualification matches at other venues.
In
1998, the
Stade de France was inaugurated as France's national stadium ahead of the
1998 FIFA World Cup. Located in
Saint-Denis, a
Parisian suburb, the stadium has an all-seater capacity of 81,338. France's first match at the stadium was played on 28 January 1998 against
Spain. France won the match 1–0 with
Zinedine Zidane scoring the lone goal. Since that match, France has used the stadium for almost every major home game.
[edit]Media coverage
The national team currently has a broadcasting agreement with
TF1 Group, who control the country's main national
TV channel,
TF1. The current agreement was set to expire following the
2010 FIFA World Cup. On 18 December 2009, the
Federal Council of the French Football Federation agreed to extend its exclusive broadcasting agreement with the channel. The new deal grants the channel exclusive broadcast rights for the matches of national team, which include
friendlies and international games for the next four seasons beginning in
August 2010and ending in
June 2014. TF1 will also have extended rights, notably on the
Internet, and may also broadcast images of the national team in its weekly program, Téléfoot.
[3] The federation will receive
€45 million a season, a €10 million decrease from the €55 million they received from the previous agreement reached in 2006.
[4]The France national team utilizes a
tricolour system, composed of colors blue, red, and white. The team's three colors originate from the
national flag of France, known as the
drapeau tricolore. France have brandished the colors since their first official international match against
Belgium in
1904. Since the team's inception, France normally wear blue shirts, white shorts, and red socks at home, while, when on the road, the team utilizes an all-white combination or wear red shirts, blue shorts, and blue socks with the former being the most current. Between the years 1909–1914, France wore a white shirt with blue stripes, white shorts, and red socks. In a
1978 World Cup match against
Hungary in
Mar del Plata, both teams arrived at
Estadio José María Minella with white kits, so France played in green-and-white striped shirts borrowed from
Club Atlético Kimberley.
[5]Beginning in
1972, France reached an agreement with
German sports apparel manufacturer
Adidas to be the team's
kit provider. Over the next 38 years, the two would maintain a healthy relationship with France winning
UEFA Euro 1984, the
1998 FIFA World Cup, and
UEFA Euro 2000 while wearing the brand's famous tricolour three stripes. On 22 February 2008, the
French Football Federation announced that they were ending their
partnership with Adidas and signing with the
American manufacturer
Nike, effective 1 January 2011. The unprecedented deal is valued at
€320 million over seven years (2011–2018) making France's blue shirt the most expensive ever in the history of football.
[6][7][edit]Nickname
France is often referred to by the media and supporters as
Les Bleus (The Blues), which is the nickname associated with all of France's international sporting teams due to the blue shirts each team incorporates. The team is also referred to as
Les Tricolores or
L'Equipe Tricolore (The Tri-color Team) due to the team's utilization of the country's national colors: red, blue, and white. During the
1980s, France earned the nickname the
"Brazilians of Europe" mainly due to the accolades of the
"carré magique" ("Magic Square"), who were anchored by
Michel Platini. Led by coach
Michel Hidalgo, France exhibited an inspiring, elegant, skillful, and technically advanced offensive style of football, which was strikingly similar to their
South American counterparts.
[8][edit]Representing multi-ethnic France
During the 1990s, the team was widely celebrated as an example of the modern
multicultural French ideal.
[9] On the 2006 French national team, 17 of the 23 players were members of racial minorities, including many of the most prominent players. The team featured players born in France's
overseas departments and others who were immigrants or the children of immigrants from former
French colonies.
Zinédine Zidane was born in Marseille to Algerian immigrants.
Vikash Dhorasoo — the first French player of
Indo-Mauritian origin – played in the 2006 World Cup. Meanwhile, several players are of
African and
West Indian origin.
Patrick Vieira immigrated as a child from
Senegal and
Claude Makélélé did likewise from the
Democratic Republic of the Congo. Both
Bafétimbi Gomis and
Bacary Sagna have dual French-Senegalese nationality.
Lilian Thuram is from France's overseas department of
Guadeloupe.
Thierry Henry is the son of parents born in Guadeloupe and
Martinique, while
Louis Saha,
Sylvain Wiltord, and
Pascal Chimbonda all have parents who hail from
Guadeloupe.
Florent Malouda was born in
French Guiana. Similarly, current starlets like
Karim Benzema,
Samir Nasri, and
Hatem Ben Arfa were born to immigrant families from Algeria and Tunisia.
The multiracial makeup of the team has at times provoked controversy. In recent years, critics on the far right of the French political spectrum have taken issue with the proportional underrepresentation of white Frenchmen on the team.
National Front politician
Jean-Marie Le Penprotested in 1998 that the
Black, Blanc, Beur team that won the World Cup did not look sufficiently French. In 2002, led by
Ghanaian-born
Marcel Desailly, the French team unanimously publicly appealed to the French voting public to reject the presidential candidacy of Le Pen and instead return President
Jacques Chirac to office in a landslide. In 2006, Le Pen also resumed his criticism, charging that coach Raymond Domenech had selected too many black players.
[10]In 2005, French philosopher
Alain Finkielkraut caused a controversy by remarking to the Israeli newspaper
Haaretz that despite its earlier slogan, "the French national team is in fact black-black-black," adding "France is made fun of all around Europe because of that." He later excused himself for this comment, which he declared was not meant to be offensive.
[11]The Zidane-Materazzi
headbutt incident in the 2006 World Cup final and its aftermath served as a symbol for the larger issue of Europe's struggle to integrate its non-white immigrant population: even though both players denied it,
[12] international media speculated for days about the presence of a racist element in the exchange,
[13] observing that the Italian team contained no ethnic minorities.
[14]The national team's overall impact on France's efforts to integrate its minorities and come to terms with its colonial past has been mixed, however. In 2001, France played a friendly match in the
Stade de France, site of its 1998 World Cup triumph, against
Algeria. It was France's first meeting with its former colony, with whom it had fought a
war from 1954–1962, and it proved controversial. France's national anthem,
La Marseillaise, was booed by Algerian supporters before the game, and following a French goal that made the score 4–1 in the second half, spectators ran onto the field of play and caused the game to be suspended. It was never resumed.
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