FRANCE 98 – France – A. Jacquet: “Nothing comes without effort, you must earn everything”

Statements made early afternoon on Sunday 14 June by Aimé JACQUET, coach of the FRANCE team, and Jean-Marcel Ferret, doctor for the FRANCE team, in Clairefontaine (south of PARIS):

-Aimé JACQUET – coach

“Nothing comes without effort, you must earn everything. This first match should prove that FRANCE has a great team. The excitement and enthusiasm of the public, when merited, should serve to make us stronger. We need to get back into match mentality; we didn’t do anything in the 48 hours following the match so that everyone could take advantage of a bit of down time with their family. Starting this evening, we need to regain the concentration we need to continue what we’ve started. Up until our match with SAUDI ARABIA, our plan will be to win, not to qualify. Once we win that match, we can re-evaluate our plan of attack. As to frequent “turnover” of players on the pitch, it’s a strategy that no coach ever uses. The best players always play, even if, regretfully, this means that some players spend a lot of time on the bench.”

-Jean-Marcel Ferret – Doctor for the FRANCE team

“Stéphane GUIVARC’H (9) is suffering from a slight sprain of the left knee, a diagnosis confirmed by specialists. He will not be at the team training sessions for two or three days, and after that he will follow a specialised training programme. David TREZEGUET (20) has a sprain of the left ankle that seems to be quite mild. I want to emphasise, however, that this is his second sprain since the beginning of the World Cup. In any case, the injury does not in any way jeopardise his chances of playing in the match against SAUDI ARABIA. Franck LEBOEUE (18) has a slightly strained tendon in his left knee. He will begin training with the team again in two days.”