Laurent Blanc

Laurent Blanc steps down as France coach

Paris: France is looking for a new coach after Laurent Blanc turned down a new contract offer, and former World Cup-winning captain Didier Deschamps is touted as the favorite to replace him. Blanc stepped down on Saturday after a European Championship campaign that ended in the quarterfinals and with his players again being questioned about their behavior.

Blanc informed the French Football Federation of his decision following lengthy negotiations with FFF president Noel Le Graet on Thursday. The FFF said there would be no further comment before a news conference Tuesday, when its executive committee meets.

The favorite to replace Blanc is Deschamps, who played 103 matches for France, and is set to leave as Marseille manager after a difficult last season.

Deschamps would be the ideal choice to replace Blanc, having made no secret of his desire to coach France one day. He was France's captain when it won the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000 " the national team's last major trophy " and would be a popular choice....more    

France team in 'heated' dressing room bust-up

Donetsk: Tensions are creeping into the French camp at the European Championship, with the players involved in a "heated" bust-up following the team's 2-0 loss to Sweden. France, who were hit by internal strife at the 2010 World Cup, capitulated against the Swedes on Tuesday and would have lost more heavily if goalkeeper Hugo Lloris had not made several saves. Although the defeat did not prevent France from advancing to...  

Blanc to blame as France lose unbeaten streak

Never before has France coach Laurent Blanc been seriously criticised for the on-field performance of his side, so it seems somewhat churlish to hammer the boss after the end of an unbeaten 23-match streak. It is impossible, however, to overlook the coach's decisions during the miserable 2-0 defeat to Sweden. Was Blanc foolishly lured into believing that Tuesday's opponents would be overly relaxed? No " that is not his style....  

'England must take more risks or face early exit'

Donetsk: England will struggle to make a major impact at Euro 2012 unless they show greater ambition, according to France coach Laurent Blanc. Les Bleus were largely frustrated by Roy Hodgson's obdurate side in the Group D opener in Donetsk which ended in a 1-1 draw after Samir Nasri cancelled out Joleon Lescott's opener. France's players were highly critical of England's negative approach and France coach Laurent Blanc feels the...  

France proved technically superior than England

Donetsk, Ukraine: Wilting in the heat and technically inferior to the French, England escaped with a draw from their first European Championship opener. And France, with the flair and guile England lacked for most of the match, will be ruing a missed opportunity. "The side that played the most football was France," France coach Laurent Blanc said. That was borne out in the statistics. While the French completed 634 passes,...  

Cautious France wary of England in Group D

Krakow, (Poland): France have a long unbeaten record to protect as they seek to confirm their renaissance under coach Laurent Blanc by winning Group D to sweep into the quarter-finals at Euro 2012. But Blanc knows they face a familiar obstacle in old foes England, however their opponents may have been recast by new manager Roy Hodgson, and has wisely been cautious ahead of their group-opening clash in Donetsk on...