France released their first away shirt in this Nike era via photo done by fashion maestro Karl Lagerfeld.

And it is a painfully, painfully good looking shirt – it’s a wonder they didn’t drop adidas decades ago.

[So Foot]

The last we saw of Raymond Domenech, he was immersed in a witness protection program masquerading as some sort of poker crash course. Now that the money’s dried up from that little venture, he’s back for more cash with his very first exclusive post-World Cup meltdown interview to be released amidst pomp and several forms of circumstance tomorrow. Excerpts are available, and they’ve hooked the public with juicy nuggets in typical Raymond fashion – mostly name-calling and the pointing of unemployed fingers.

Raymond:

“Everyone is talking instead of me,” he said in extracts that appeared on the newspaper’s website. “I want to restore the truth. I’m not the moron that people are describing me as.

“Let’s be clear: I got it wrong, I mustn’t have chosen the right players nor found the words that were needed. I do not accept the criticism of politicians, nor that of former players who have turned to journalism, but that does not prevent me from drawing my own evaluation.”

Describing the day [of the training strike], and his attempts to talk his players around, Domenech said: “It was more than an hour that we had been there. It was really necessary that someone take responsibility and stop that charade. All the cameras were focused on the bus, hundreds of kids were waiting on the sidelines. We were the laughing stock of the world.”

Following the tournament, Evra, Franck Ribéry, Jeremy Toulalan and Eric Abidal took the bulk of the blame – and suspensions – for their role in the incident, but Domenech said all the players acted together.

“If there were any [leaders], I did not see them. Every time I went up [into the bus], there was no one,” he said. “At this point, I told myself that they went crazy and they don’t realise. Now I know I was wrong: they knew very well what they were doing. They even closed the curtains of the bus to hide themselves from cameras. With hindsight, I see them mainly as a bunch of foolhardy brats.

“Above all, I do not want controversy. I have had offers for the theatre, for the cinema … Nothing on TV, no. Honestly, how can we imagine me in a reality television show?” he said.

Is he intimating France’s World Cup 2010 show wasn’t reality TV?

And calling them ‘foolhardy brats’ shouldn’t create any controversy or vitriolic rebuttals flying through press channels. Not at all.

UEFA President Michel unveiled his home country France as hosts of Euro 2016 today. I know what you’re thinking. “Fix!”, right? But probably not. UEFA is not a dictatorship, and France was elected as Euro 2016 host after a series of ballots by UEFA committee members.

The other two bidding nations were Italy and Turkey. Italy was knocked out after the first round of voting, and France defeated Turkey by just one vote in the runoff.

“I want first to thank our friends from Italy and Turkey; I feel for them and the feelings of frustration and sadness after months of work and I wish Italian and Turkish football good luck,” said French Football Federation (FFF) president Jean-Pierre Escalettes.

“For us it is a moment of intense emotions, given that in 2016 we will welcome European football to France. We will fulfil our promises and we thank our friends on the Executive Committee at UEFA. They have put their trust in us and that’s what counts for us. This is a beautiful day for us.”

Maybe the last few years have been a blur for me. But it feels like France only just hosted the 1998 World Cup last week. France also hosted the 1984 Euros and the third ever World Cup back in 1938.

I’m sure most will agree that Turkey would have been the much more interesting choice, if only because they’ve never hosted a tournament before. Turkey’s most recent big European football event was that insanely entertaining 2005 Champions League final between Milan and Liverpool in Istanbul. I’m assuming every game at a tournament hosted by Turkey would be just as dramatic.

I’d imagine that the reason France won out in the end was the big Euros expansion we’re getting in 2016, when the tournament goes from 16 to 24 teams. Upping that number by a third is a gamble in and of itself, so I can understand why UEFA would want a host who’s been there, done that, and got the Footix t-shirt.

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We haven’t quite entered “worst secret” territory, but when the lotto ball for Euro 2016 is plucked from that bin by a scantily clad Michel Plantini, the world expects him to show a French one, and for good reason: they’re throwing money at it.

The other two candidates are Italy and Turkey. The latter has been something of an edgy bid, needing a great deal of infrastructure work, while Italy has offered up the least amount of money to upgrade stadia, reportedly trumpeting Rome’s modern new stadium, the Colosseum.

France, on the other hand, would hold the final at the Stade de France, which was built in 1995, as opposed to “many, many moons ago”.

The French have pledged to spend £1.44billion [€1.7b] on renovating and building new stadiums, which is more than rivals Italy and Turkey combined have promised.

French Football Federation communications director Pierre-Jean Golven said: “We know we have our chances and have a strong bid, but we remain very humble.

“Our spending commitment is more than what Germany invested for the 2006 World Cup and 60 per cent of that money will come from private investors, which is a guarantee in times of crisis making public money harder to get.”

France, who have hosted the championships twice, including the inaugural finals in 1960, are planning four new venues at Bordeaux, Lille, Lyon and Nice and would stage the final at the 76,000-seater Stade de France.

The problem is partially that 60%, because private investment has known to fail once or twice in recent football memory. Turkey has offered up €1b of government money, which comes with a bit more guarantee. And then there’s the allure of the atmosphere which would be, in a word, unrivaled.

Yet it only makes sense that it’ll go to France: they’re the safe bid and even though Polkraine 2012 still has two years left to run, the road has been bumpy – quite literally in certain instances.

Even without the government providing the bulk of the cash, it’s still more cash (more is better – remember that), so you’re likely to book your trip to Paris and Bordeaux in 2016, where you can get wasted with a red-nosed geezer named Alex suspiciously eyeing up all the children.

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The World Cup is just over two weeks away. So it’s time to start making a few predictions. Who we think will qualify, and how the group will finish #1 to #4. Maybe it’s just because this is the first one, but I’m willing to go out on a limb and say that Group A might actually be the hardest to predict. You’ve got the weakest of the seeded teams in South Africa, and arguably the strongest of the second seed teams in France. Plus you’ve got two very good teams rounding out the group in Mexico and Uruguay.

Can you pick which of those teams is going to finish bottom? Normally you might say South Africa, but their hosting the event seems to make that unlikely. Some tough tough choices to make here.

First thing I did before writing this post was to ask Chris for his opinion. Because he’s always got one. Here’s how Chris sees Group A finishing:

1. France
2. Uruguay
3. South Africa
4. Mexico

I can see the logic there. France is technically and traditionally the strongest team, Uruguay are certainly solid enough to pick up enough points and South Africa will put up a brave fight but fail to qualify for the second round. Then I remembered that so far no host country has failed to make it past the first round of a World Cup. Which would make South Africa finishing third somewhat historic.

I want to say I have a gut feeling South Africa will make it out of Group A. But given the quality of opposition, I just don’t see it happening. And though I don’t see France being particularly strong in this World Cup (Raymond Domenech etc), being unseeded but then being drawn into South Africa’s group was a gigantic slice of luck, and I don’t see them wasting a gift like that. So, after much pondering, my prediction for Group A is…

1. France
2. Mexico
3. Uruguay
4. South Africa

I feel seriously bad predicting that South Africa will finish bottom. In my defence, I don’t think they’ll get slaughtered. They’ll pick up a point or two and I imagine Group A as a whole will be pretty tight. But France will have that little bit extra and the young guns of Mexico will have just enough to pip Uruguay to second place.

How do you see Group A finishing? Share your predictions in the comments.

- We’ll be doing a Soundoff predictions post for each group over the next couple of weeks, but you can also predict the whole tournament in our World Cup Bracket competition.

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Of course it helps that those in action are supposed to be decent, at the least, World Cup teams, with the Netherlands, France, Chile and Uruguay all expected to either progress or be right there on the final day.

But more, the week of the debutant continues: after Lucas Barrios scored Tuesday with his hot-off-the-press Paraguayan passport in hand, Matthew Valbuena opened his French account, free checking, on Wednesday with the winner versus Costa Rica.

Clearly every World Cup team should be running out eleven international virgins each game. Damn the details.

Netherlands 2 – Mexico 1

Everybody sit back and watch some international class defending…

Nevermind. Three lovely goals in their own way, and proof that van Persie is back with further proof that Ibrahim Afellay is the honey dripping off the bee’s knees, but you have to believe they won’t have it quite so easy in a World Cup game. At least you hope not.

Chile 3 – Zambia 0

Young phenomenon Alexis Sanchez got the brace after coming on as a halftime sub, but the control by Jorge Valdivia on ball over the top to set up his first combined with his goal, Chile’s third, made generations of babies in Santiago. Well maybe not, ’twas Zambia after all, but it was still quite phenomenal for a guy playing in the United Arab Emirates. (For the football, obviously.)

Of course Sanchez’s second goal was nothing to scoff at. That would be why he’s one of the most highly rated youngsters on the planet.

Uruguay 4 – Israel 1

Poor Israel never stood a chance – not with Luis Suarez in the house. Setting up the first two goals, the first after some nifty work in midfield to keep possession, and causing fits for the Israeli defense which his teammates then converted. Which is really what he does: cause fits. (Scored one or two goals this year as well.)

Sebastian Abreu finished off nicely with a late brace, helped by Edinson Cavani, to pad the friendly scoreline and practice his celebrations, which mostly involve running a few yards and allowing the little people to hug him. Less is more.

France 2 – Costa Rica 1

We can safely say Steve Mandanda hates the Jabulani too. Thierry Henry was also trying to catch the flight of the ball. Just why, no one knows.

Costa Rica were sympathetic to Mandanda’s plight with the flight and expertly put Ribery’s cross into the back of their net, making it 1-1 until Mathieu Valbuena was run out in a France shirt for the very first time, and he didn’t disappoint. Winner in the 83rd, all while wearing the number 10 and Pat Riley’s hair.

He’d like that back.

In pics: France train in countdown to South Africa.

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France midfielder Lassana Diarra will miss the World Cup because of a stomach
problem.

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Worries about William Gallas’s fitness could force France to reorganise their
defence at the World Cup.

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French football federation have reached agreement with Bordeaux to recruit
Laurent Blanc as coach of national team.

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