Tag: France

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Zidane confirmed as France head coach

Former Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane has been confirmed as the head coach of the France national team.

Didier Deschamps, France’s longest-serving manager, ended his 14-year stint in charge after the nation’s semi-final exit to Spain at the 2026 World Cup.

Zidane, a World Cup winner with France in 1998, has been out of management since leaving Real Madrid for a second time as head coach in 2021.

The 54-year-old, widely considered to be France’s greatest player, will sign a contract that will see him lead the nation through the 2030 World Cup qualifiers.

On being appointed, he said it was “a great source of pride” to lead the French national side following their fourth-place finish at the World Cup.

“I’ve often said it: there’s nothing greater than the French national team. So it’s a joy and obviously a great source of pride to become the manager of this French national team,” he added.

“It’s also a responsibility. I want to thank [French Football Federation] president Philippe Diallo, the executive committee, and the French Football Federation for their confidence and acknowledge the 14 years of service from Didier and his staff.

“I also have a special thought today for all my coaches. Needless to say, I have high ambitions for the French national team.”

Diallo described the new head coach as a “legend” of French football.”

The appointment of Zinedine Zidane as head coach of the French national team is a source of immense pride for the French Football Federation,” he said.

“It marks the meeting of a legend in the history of Les Bleus, who has become one of the most decorated and respected coaches of his generation, and a team with rare potential, driven by the highest ambitions.”

Zidane’s predecessor Deschamps guided France to three major finals over his 14-year reign, helping the country to their second World Cup success with victory in 2018.

Zidane’s first competitive fixture in charge will be a Nations League trip to Turkey on 25 September. (BBC)

Posted on by — Leave a comment

England beats France 6-4 in wild World Cup third-place game

Bukayo Saka scored three goals to lead England to a 6-4 win over France for third place in the World Cup, while Kylian Mbappé surpassed Lionel Messi’s career tournament scoring record and took the lead in the Golden Boot race with a pair of second-half goals on Saturday.

It was the highest-scoring World Cup game since Hungary beat El Salvador 10-1 in 1982, and the 10 goals were the most in a third-place match.

Saka had goals in the 37th minute and in first-half stoppage time, then added his third on a penalty in the 87th for his second career hat trick with England. The Three Lions also got goals from Declan Rice and Ezri Konsa to build a 4-0 halftime lead, and they hung on during a wild second half to secure their second-best finish in the World Cup. England won its only title in 1966.

England’s Jude Bellingham capped the scoring in the eighth minute of second-half stoppage time, his seventh goal of the tournament.

Mbappé reached 22 career goals, one more than Messi. The star striker finished this World Cup with 10 goals, two ahead of Messi in the race for the Golden Boot, which is awarded to the tournament’s top scorer.

Messi will get one last shot at the scoring title when he and defending champion Argentina face Spain on Sunday in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Bradley Barcola and Ousmane Dembélé also scored for France.

France’s Kylian Mbappe, right, controls the ball past England’s Marc Guehi (6) during the World Cup third-place playoff soccer match between France and England in Miami Gardens, Fla., Saturday, July 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Both teams had said they’d rather be playing in Sunday’s final. France had enough offensive firepower to potentially win the tournament, but Les Bleus lost to Spain in the semifinals and squandered their chance at reaching a third straight World Cup final. England blew a 1-0 lead against Argentina and lost 2-1 when Messi assisted on two late goals.

Still, a sellout crowd of 64,478 showed up to watch the seventh and final match of this World Cup at Hard Rock Stadium.

Plenty of supporters were cheering for both teams, but many were there simply for the atmosphere of the low-stakes match.

“I love English football,” said Gaston Esquivel, a native of Mexico City who came to support England. “I’ve followed the Premier League since I was a kid. I am a Manchester United fan. I like their style, I like their game.”

Thomas Viel, who traveled from Paris to follow France throughout the tournament, was hoping to see a hat trick by Mbappé. He nearly got his wish.

France trailed 4-0 when Mbappé flicked a shot past goalkeeper Dean Henderson in the 48th minute. Then he beat Henderson again with a left-footed strike from about 14 yards in the 66th.

“I think Messi will not score a hat trick tomorrow,” Viel said.

It was also the final match for France coach Didier Deschamps, who has said he will step down after 14 years. Deschamps embraced players and waved toward the crowd as he exited the pitch. (JapanToday)

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Merino strikes late as Spain beats Belgium 2-1 to set up France semifinal clash

Super sub Mikel Merino broke Belgian hearts and sent Spain through to a World Cup semifinal against France with a late goal in a gripping 2-1 win on Friday.

The stunning finish at SoFi Stadium sets up a tantalizing showdown between European champions Spain and the tournament favorites France and the red-hot Kylian Mbappe in Dallas on Tuesday.

But it was heartbreak for Belgium’s substitute goalkeeper Senne Lammens, sent on late, who spilled a shot into the path of Merino.

The dramatic finale came after Fabian Ruiz had opened the scoring for Spain, before Charles De Ketelaere grabbed one back for Belgium against the run of play before halftime.

Welcoming Kevin De Bruyne and Jeremy Doku back to the starting XI, Belgium were rocked by a hamstring injury during the warm-ups to captain Youri Tielemans that hit them hard.

Having already lost Amadou Onana to a ruptured ACL, the Red Devils would have to play a near second-choice midfield against the Spanish possession masters.

Ruiz, brought in for Pedri, wasted no time combining with Rodri to dominate the ball and Barcelona’s teen sensation Lamine Yamal curled an early shot just wide of the far post.

But opposing winger Doku was bright for Belgium, cutting in from the left to feed De Ketelaere, the striker fresh from his brace against the United States on Monday.

Still, it was Spain who struck first. On the half-hour mark, Pedro Porro played a sharp one-two with Lamine Yamal before expertly cutting it back from near the byline to Dani Olmo.

Olmo’s shot was parried by Thibaut Courtois, but fell to Ruiz, who fired it home.

Suddenly it was all Spain. They pinged passes around the Belgian half as though this World Cup quarter-final was a training exercise, laid on for an A-list crowd featuring Brad Pitt, Penelope Cruz and Noel Gallagher.

But Belgium, having fought back astonishingly late from 2-0 down in the round-of-32 to dispatch Senegal, did not panic.

They grabbed one back in the 41st minute. De Bruyne slid a through ball wide to Timothy Castagne. His cross found De Ketelaere, who perfectly timed his run and outmuscled Barcelona youngster Pau Cubarsi to head home.

It was the first goal Spain had conceded this World Cup.

Improbably, Belgium almost grabbed another before half-time. Breaking from a Spain corner, De Ketelaere’s pass to a totally clear Doku was barely intercepted by Olmo.

Yamal grew into the game after the break, nearly finding Mikel Oyarzabal with an incisive cross that was well blocked by a charging Courtois. (JapanToday)

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Mbappe strikes again as France beats Morocco 2-0 to reach semifinals

Kylian Mbappe recovered from having a first-half penalty saved to score a magnificent opener that set France on their way to a 2-0 win over Morocco in their World Cup quarterfinal on Thursday.

Mbappe’s weak spot-kick was easily saved by Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, but he made up for that by producing a brilliant curling finish to make it 1-0 on the hour mark.

That was Mbappe’s eighth goal at the tournament, moving him level again with Lionel Messi in the race for the Golden Boot, before he came off late on and watched the final minutes with an ice pack around his right ankle.

Before exiting, he set up Ousmane Dembele to run through and settle the contest watched by 63,811 at the Gillette Stadium, as France knocked Morocco out, just as they did in 2022.

Their 2-0 win four years ago in Qatar came in the semifinals, and this time the victory for Les Bleus takes them through to the last four. They will face Spain or Belgium in Dallas next Tuesday.

France are looking to reach a third consecutive World Cup final in their last tournament before long-serving coach Didier Deschamps stands down.

Winners in 2018 and runners-up in 2022, it has felt like they have eased through to another semifinal and they were too strong for a Moroccan team lacking firepower in the absence of the injured Ismael Saibari.

Mbappe is one of the greatest goal-scorers of his generation, and the World Cup continues to bring the very best out of him.

After netting braces in the group-stage wins over Senegal and Iraq, as well as the last-32 defeat of Sweden, he got the only goal from the penalty spot against Paraguay in the last round.

He has now scored 20 goals in 20 World Cup appearances, within one goal of Messi’s overall tournament record of 21.

More could have been expected from Morocco, who had more of the crowd behind them but lacked a cutting edge in attack as France kept a third clean sheet in as many knockout games.

Nevertheless, they have plenty of exciting young talent — including former France Under-21 captain Ayyoub Bouaddi in their midfield — and will surely be a force to be reckoned with again when they co-host the next World Cup in 2030 alongside Spain and Portugal.

On Thursday they were just the latest team to find containing Mbappe at a World Cup to be an impossible task.

The Real Madrid star provoked the penalty as he was scythed down in the area by Noussair Mazraoui after a quick breakaway in the 25th minute.

Argentinian referee Facundo Tello immediately pointed to the spot, although a review was needed to rule out a foul on Moroccan captain Achraf Hakimi in the build-up.

Maybe the wait got to Mbappe, whose kick was uncharacteristically weak and easily stopped. It was a reminder that he remains human, just like Messi who has squandered two penalties at this World Cup.

The excellent Bounou frequently kept France at bay in the first half, notably tipping a Desire Doue shot around the post after Bouaddi was robbed of the ball.

Lucas Digne crashed a shot onto the top of the bar from distance as the opening half ended goalless, but France got the reward for their pressure 15 minutes after the restart.

Doue slipped the ball to Mbappe just outside the area, and he controlled before using Issa Diop as a screen to direct a superb strike into the net.

France’s all-time leading marksman now has 64 international goals from 104 appearances.

His lay-off in the 66th minute allowed Dembele to advance on goal and curl a shot low into the same corner, a hand from Bounou proving unable to make it 2-0.

Dembele is the reigning Ballon d’Or and now has five goals at this World Cup, but Mbappe continues to hog the limelight. (JapanToday)

Posted on by — Leave a comment

French President Macron urges investment in Africa

French President Emmanuel Macron urged investment in Africa on Monday as he co-hosted an economic summit in Kenya, after defending European involvement on the continent.

The European leader, speaking at the University of Nairobi, said Africa “needs investment to become more sovereign”, replacing aid with economic opportunities.

Speaking in French, Macron said that previously European chiefs would lecture African leaders on what they needed, but, “this is no longer what Africa needs or wants to hear”.

“That’s just as well, because we, too, no longer have the means, if we’re being honest,” he said.

Ahead of the summit, in an interview with the magazines Jeune Afrique and The Africa Report, the French leader said he first strongly condemned colonialism when he came to power in 2017.

In contrast, the United States and China were locked in a trade standoff, with no respect for the rules, he added.

On critical minerals and rare earths, China, he said, “operates according to a predatory logic: it does the processing at home” and creates “dependencies with the rest of the world”.

Macron, leading the two-day summit aimed at renewing France’s engagement with Africa after years of strained ties with its former colonies, said Europe was instead promoting “a strategy of autonomy” for both continents.

Central to transforming Africa’s fortunes should be an overhaul of international finance, to set up a system of financial guarantees to bring in private investment, he added. (Channels)

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Tinubu arrives in Kenya for Africa/France Summit

President Bola Tinubu has arrived at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Nairobi, Kenya, in the early hours of Monday to participate in the Africa/France Summit.

Tinubu’s aircraft touched down at approximately 00:18 a.m. local time. He was received on arrival by the Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, Musalia Mudavadi; the High Commissioner of Kenya in Nigeria, Isaac Parashina; along with senior Kenyan government officials and members of Nigeria’s diplomatic mission in Kenya.

The Africa/France Summit will be co-hosted by William Ruto of Kenya and French President Emmanuel Macron.

Tinubu’s participation, according to the presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, highlights Nigeria’s enduring commitment to advancing African unity, deepening regional economic cooperation, and fostering strategic partnerships to accelerate sustainable development across the continent.

The summit brings together heads of state, policymakers, business leaders, development partners, and key stakeholders from across Africa and beyond to deliberate on innovative pathways for economic transformation, trade expansion, digital innovation, infrastructure development, climate resilience, and collective prosperity for the continent.

During the event, Tinubu is expected to engage in high-level bilateral and multilateral discussions to strengthen Nigeria’s diplomatic and economic relations with fellow African nations while reaffirming Nigeria’s leadership role in shaping the continent’s future.

His attendance reflects the administration’s steadfast dedication to promoting Africa-driven solutions to continental challenges and advancing the Renewed Hope Agenda through strategic international engagement.

The President is accompanied on the trip by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Ojukwu; the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Abubakar Kyari; the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola; the Minister of Environment, Balarabe Abbas Lawal; the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Jumoke Oduwole; and the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani.

Others are the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Council (NIPCO); the Minister of State designate for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye; the Director General of the National Council on Climate Change (NCCC), Omotenioye Majekodunmi; and the Nigerian Ambassador to France, Amb. Ayodele Oke. (Channels)

Posted on by — Leave a comment

UK and French governments sign a 3-year deal to curb migrant crossings in English Channel

The UK and French governments signed a new multimillion-euro deal on Thursday aimed at reducing the number of migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats, with increased police patrols and enhanced surveillance in northern France.

UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood and French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez formally endorsed the three-year agreement during a joint visit to the Dunkirk region.

Mahmood praised the new deal as providing “the right mix of skills and capabilities that we know will work on the beaches in order to reduce the crossings.”

Nuñez said that it will help in “combating illegal immigration networks, human trafficking networks, which are obviously extremely harmful.”

Under the agreement, the UK will provide 500 million pounds ($675 million) to strengthen measures in northern France, with an additional 160 million pounds ($216 million) depending on the success of new tactics to curb Channel crossings. If those efforts fail, the additional funding will be halted after one year, the UK Home Office said.

The plan aims at increasing the number of officers deployed on the ground from 907 now to 1,392 for the 2026—2029 period, along with the creation of an additional police unit dedicated to combating irregular migration, funded by France, the French Interior Ministry said.

It will also include the deployment of new technologies aimed at reducing departures of “taxi boats,” the term authorities use for small motorized vessels that are typically inflatable and used by smugglers to pick up migrants along long stretches of the northern French coast.

Unlike boats that migrants carry into the water themselves, “taxi boats” typically set off largely empty from secluded coastal areas and pick up migrants at prearranged meeting points on beaches.

The deal also expands surveillance capabilities through drones, helicopters and electronic monitoring, to better prevent crossing attempts.

“Our work with the French has already stopped tens of thousands of crossings and this government has deported or returned nearly 60,000 people with no right to be here,” UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said.

Since taking office nearly two years ago, Starmer’s center-left Labour government has pushed through a series of policies that it hopes will sharply reduce immigration.

Small boat crossings have become a potent political issue in the UK over recent years. Anger at the seeming inability of successive governments to get a handle on the issue has been behind a series of demonstrations and riots over the past few years and fueled the rise of the hard-right Reform UK party, which has been leading in opinion polls for more than a year and is predicted to make sweeping gains in a raft of elections on May 7. (JapanToday)

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Trump urges other nations to send ships to secure Hormuz


US President Donald Trump on Saturday urged other nations to send ships to help secure the Strait of Hormuz, the critical chokepoint for global oil supplies disrupted by the Mideast war.

Trump, who has said the United States will soon start escorting tankers through the strait, posted on Truth Social that “Many countries, especially those who are affected by Iran’s attempted closure of the Hormuz Strait, will be sending War Ships, in conjunction with the United States of America, to keep the Strait open and safe.”

The US president added: “Hopefully China, France, Japan, South Korea, the UK, and others, that are affected by this artificial constraint, will send Ships to the area.”

Iranian strikes have all but halted maritime traffic in the strait, through which a fifth of global crude oil and liquefied natural gas normally pass. It is just 54 kilometers (34 miles) wide at its narrowest point.

With oil prices spiking, Trump was asked Friday when the US Navy would begin escorting tankers through the Strait of Hormuz. “It’ll happen soon, very soon,” he said.

In his post on Saturday, Trump asserted that Iran’s military capability had been eliminated but he conceded that it was still able to attack the strait.

“We have already destroyed 100% of Iran’s Military capability, but it’s easy for them to send a drone or two, drop a mine, or deliver a close range missile somewhere along, or in, this Waterway, no matter how badly defeated they are,” he wrote.

As he urged nations to send ships to the strait, he added that “the United States will be bombing the hell out of the shoreline, and continually shooting Iranian Boats and Ships out of the water. One way or the other, we will soon get the Hormuz Strait OPEN, SAFE, and FREE!” (Channels)

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Basketball: D’Tigress crush Colombia 70–37 in World Cup qualifier

Nigeria’s senior women’s basketball team, D’Tigress, opened their campaign at the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup Qualifying Tournament with a commanding 33-point victory over Colombia.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that D’Tigress defeated Colombia 70–37 on Wednesday to secure their first win of the tournament, currently taking place in France.

Nigeria led 18–12 in the opening quarter with impressive displays, but Colombia responded strongly to edge the second quarter 17–16.

D’Tigress dominated the second half, outscoring Colombia 19–5 in the third quarter and 17–3 in the fourth to seal an emphatic victory.

The win marked Head Coach Rena Wakama’s 14th victory since her appointment in 2023.

Since taking charge, Wakama has overseen 18 competitive matches, winning 14 and losing four.

Her achievements include guiding Nigeria to the 2023 and 2025 FIBA Women’s Afrobasket championship titles.

D’Tigress currently rank eighth in the FIBA world rankings, reflecting consistent progress and strong performances in recent international competitions.

One of their most notable achievements remains reaching the quarter-finals of the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup.

Technically, the result again highlighted the growing gap between Nigeria and several emerging basketball nations.

Nigeria controlled the tempo, defended aggressively and converted transition opportunities efficiently throughout the game.

Victoria Macaulay led the scoring with 13 points, delivering the performance in 14 minutes and 20 seconds on the court.

Ifunaya Okoro also finished in double figures, contributing 10 points after playing 28 minutes and one second.

Nigeria will face South Korea in their next group match scheduled for Thursday. (Punch)

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Parliamentary aide among 11 arrested over killing of French far-right activist

Eleven suspects, including a parliamentary aide to France’s hard-left party, have been arrested in connection with the killing last week of a far-right activist in an incident that has shocked the country and laid bare its deep political divisions.

Quentin Deranque, 23, died on Saturday after sustaining a severe brain injury. The Lyon prosecutor, Thierry Dran, said he had been “thrown to the ground and beaten by at least six individuals” during an incident last week.

The attack took place as Deranque, a mathematics student, was on the sidelines of a protest against a university conference attended by Rima Hassan, a European member of parliament for Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s leftwing party, La France Insoumise (LFI).

The anti-immigration Némésis collective, which was protesting against the conference, said at the weekend that Deranque had been there to protect its members and was assaulted by anti-fascist activists. Hassan and other members of LFI have condemned the killing.

The incident has inflamed political tensions in France in the run-up to next month’s municipal elections as well as the 2027 presidential race, in which polls suggest the far-right National Rally (RN) could achieve its best result to date.

The first wave of arrests was announced late on Tuesday, as Dran said nine suspects had been arrested. Those detained included people who were suspected of having participated in the violence and others who had provided support to them, sources told Agence France-Presse.

Hours later, two more suspects were arrested: a man who the prosecutor said was suspected of being directly linked to the violence as well as his partner, who was suspected of trying to help him evade justice.

The LFI politician Raphaël Arnault confirmed that his parliamentary assistant was among those detained, adding the aide had “ceased all parliamentary work”.

On Wednesday, as news of the arrests spread, the LFI said it had been forced to evacuate its national headquarters. “The national headquarters of LFI have just been evacuated following a bomb threat,” the party’s coordinator, Manuel Bompard, said on social media. “Police services are on site. All employees and activists are safe.”

As videos of last week’s deadly confrontation continued to circulate on social media, Mélenchon called for calm. “Let’s not fuel the incitement to take the law into one’s own hands,” the LFI leader said on social media.

Images broadcast by TF1 of the alleged attack showed several people hitting three others who were lying on the ground, two of whom managed to escape. One witness told AFP: “People were hitting each other with iron bars.”

Némésis, the anti-immigration collective linked to Deranque, has blamed the killing on La Jeune Garde (Young Guard), an anti-fascist youth group co-founded by Arnault before he was elected to parliament. La Jeune Garde – which was dissolved in June – has denied any links to the “tragic events” and Arnault has called the killing “horrific”.

While the government has singled out LFI and La Jeune Garde, the Lyon prosecutor on Monday declined to comment on those claims, instead telling reporters that the investigation was looking into suspected “intentional homicide” and aggravated assault.

Politicians held a minute of silence on Tuesday afternoon at France’s national assembly in memory of Deranque, while a march is expected to be held in Lyon next Saturday in his honour.

In a post this weekend, the French president, Emmanuel Macron, addressed the incident and called for calm. “It is essential that the perpetrators of this ignominy be prosecuted, brought to justice and convicted. Hatred that kills has no place among us,” he wrote on social media. “I call for calm, restraint and respect.” (Guardian)