A crunch meeting between French national team manager Didier Deschamps and the president of the French Federation, Noel Le Graet, has yielded the decision to omit striker Karim Benzema from selection for the French squad at Euro 2016.
The opening ceremony sees tractors pulling hay bales and lumber, a procession of men in lederhosen and women in dirndl, traditional clothing of Alps peasants, leading Braunvieh cattle and goats across inaccessible Alpine roads.
Dimitri Payet was on the pitch for three minutes before he scored an absolutely stunning free kick from distance in an international friendly in the 64th minute. The West Ham and French international attacking midfielder went top right corner to beat Russian keeper, Igor Akinfeev. This 30 yard free kick put the home side up 3-1. It was a lovely goal that will definitely help Payet's cause in making the Euro 2016 French squad. France would go on to win the match 4 - 2 and birthday boy, Payet provided the highlight reel goal.
Happy Birthday Dimitri!
UEFA Euro is coming soon, and all soccer fans can expect a great show when it arrives this summer.
Let’s look back and see how much things have changed and how much this tournament has grown up since it started.
With the European Championships right around the corner, kit manufacturers have begun releasing the official Euro 2016 kits for participating national teams.
Some of these designs will have you checking your bank account for expendable cash, while others will invariably have you adjusting your television’s color settings come June.
Here's a look at some of the threads the world's greatest will be sporting in France.
Spain Euro 2016 Kits
Republic of Ireland vs Bosnia-Herzegovina | EURO 2016 Playoff 1st Leg
Bilino Polje, Zenica, Bosnia
Friday, November 13th, 2:30 PM ET | ESPN 2
Just due west of where the River Liffey enters the Irish Sea runs O’Connell Street. Heading north across the granite and portland stones of the O’Connell Bridge, connecting the North and Southsides of Dublin, your vision becomes dominated by a nearly 400-foot stainless steel pin rising and merging into the Dublin sky.
Ireland hadn't been in a major tournament since 2002, but now thanks to Shane Long's Goal vs Germany, the Irish are close to solidifying their spot in their second straight Euro Cup. The lads from the Emerald Isle beat the defending world champions in Dublin yesterday and we couldn't be more excited about how close they are to qualifying for the Euro. They haven't sealed the deal yet, as they have a match with Poland on Sunday. With a win, the Irishman will officially qualify for the Euro. With a loss, they will enter a playoff match to decide their fate.
It would be disastrous if the Netherlands didn’t qualify for the UEFA Euro 2016 in France. But, with only two games before the end of qualifying group stages, the Dutch National team sits fourth in their group, trailing Iceland, the Czech Republic and Turkey. What should have been a winnable group and a doable job proved more difficult than expected.
Iceland’s win over Holland last Thursday at Amsterdam Arena was the most surprising result of the day in Euro 2016 qualifying.
Their draw with Kazakhstan Sunday was less surprising, but more important in terms of what it directly led to.
Iceland’s national team has qualified for a European Championship for the first time ever.
The island nation nearly qualified for the 2014 World Cup road but lost in the playoffs against Croatia and failed to get its ticket to Brazil.
I will admit it. The first international break of the season is usually a huge drag. The transfer window has finally closed, clubs are finding their footing, and I have finally figured out my optimal fantasy starting XI. At this point, I don’t want the world’s best spread out to the four corners of the world to play in meaningless games. BUT, this international break is different.