Zinedine Zidane's revolution in France's coaching ranks doesn't just extend to the pitch. The new national team coach has also begun to make his mark on the team's day-to-day management, intervening in one of the now familiar moments for fans and media: the players' arrival at Clairefontaine.
So, there will be no more "parades" in front of the cameras. The players will no longer be systematically filmed as they arrive at the federal assembly center. A decision that reduces the group's media exposure and which represents one of the first changes implemented by Zizou after the long period under the leadership of Didier Deschamps.
Farewell to the "parades" of players
In recent years, the arrival of the assembled players at Clairefontaine had become almost an event in itself. The extravagant outfits, carefully selected costumes and style choices were photographed by photographers and quickly ended up on social networks and in the French media. A habit that had taken on a dimension of its own, turning the first day of the assembly into a kind of fashion parade. Zidane has decided to change his approach.
The French Federation will continue to provide images to the media, but without the massive presence of cameras outside the federal center. Communication regarding the gatherings will also follow a more controlled manner: the first list of the new coach will be presented at the FFF headquarters and the press conference will be broadcast on the official channels of the Federation.
However, this decision does not mean a total closure to the press. According to what the Spanish daily AS reports, journalists can have access to the usual mixed areas during the assembly, thus maintaining contact with the players once the team has started work.
A different France from the Deschamps era
The change in style is also notable for another reason. Zidane takes over from Didier Deschamps, who led France for fourteen years. A very long cycle, started in 2012 and crowned with the world title won in Russia in 2018. Under Deschamps, the “Bleus” also reached the final of the 2022 World Cup, lost to Argentina on penalties, continuously confirming themselves at the top of international football. Now it is Zidane's turn.
The passing of the baton also has a special symbolic meaning: the two were teammates in the 1998 World Cup-winning France and belong to the same generation of players that wrote one of the most important pages in the history of the “Bleus”. But the new coach clearly wants to build an environment with his own rules.
From Real Madrid to France
For Zidane, it is a return to the bench after a period away from football. His experience as a coach is mainly linked to Real Madrid, where he won two Spanish championships and, above all, three Champions Leagues in a row between 2016 and 2018. An achievement that definitively placed him among the protagonists of the club's recent history.
After his last experience at Real Madrid, Zidane waited a long time for the right opportunity. For five years his name was linked to the France bench, until the Federation decided to entrust him with the position vacated by Deschamps. Now a completely different chapter begins.
The first challenge comes from the Nations League
The new coach's official debut is now imminent. France will be involved in the Nations League and will start their journey on the road against Turkey. Then the "Bleus" will face Belgium away and will play at home against Italy and Belgium again, before the next international break.
These will be the first matches through which Zidane will begin to define his France on the pitch. Meanwhile, the first message has already come from Clairefontaine: fewer parades, fewer spotlights and greater control over the environment of the National Team. A seemingly small change away from the football played, but also a way to make it clear from the beginning that with Zidane a new era begins.
