Zinedine Zidane introduces major ban that impacts all France players in first move as manager

Fans accustomed to seeing France players show up for international duty in all manner of weird, wacky and wonderful outfits are going to be disappointed ahead of this month's Nations League matches.

Zinedine Zidane succeeded former teammate Didier Deschamps as the head coach of the France team after a long and drawn-out courtship between the French Football Federation (FFF) and one of their most legendary ex-players.

Deschamps was in charge for 14 years and took Les Bleus to consecutive World Cup finals in 2018 and 2022, winning the first to add to the World Cup triumph he and Zidane achieved on home soil in 1998.

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Zinedine Zidane ends France squad arrival tradition

In the latter part of Deschamps' glittering reign, France's players facilitated a popular tradition by showing up for international duty in some very striking clobber for a feverish crowd of photographers to capture and share around the world.

Zidane has banned the cameras from shooting players as they arrived at France's legendary Clairefontaine facility, one of a number of rules imposed as the new boss makes his mark.

"The first change concerns the announcement of his first squad list," reports AS.

"It will take place at the French Football Federation headquarters, but without cameras. The press conference will be broadcast only through the FFF's communication channels.

"Another change introduced by Zidane is the elimination of the massive media presence outside Clairefontaine to cover and broadcast the arrival of the French national team players at their residence.

"This was quite an event, as many players arrived dressed in outfits that sparked lengthy debates in the media."

Zidane's new media rules have been introduced to protect players from the spotlight, with the federation making clear that it will provide footage to media.

But it's not all a matter of reduced access. AS reports that reporters 'may have access' to mixed zones once the training camp begins, boosting their access to players compared to the Deschamps era.

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Zidane turns his hand to international management

The three-time World Player of the Year has been waiting to take over from Deschamps for five years.

His previous management experience amounts to two spells at the helm of Real Madrid and one with their Castilla team, but the success he achieved at the Bernabeu matched his heights there as a player.

Zidane won La Liga twice as Real Madrid boss and initially bowed out after leading them to three Champions League wins in a row between 2016 and 2018.

France's first matches under their new head coach will be in the Nations League, starting with a trip to Turkey next Thursday.

Les Bleus will also play their away game against Belgium and at home against Italy and then Belgium before their players return to their clubs in October.

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