France on Sunday 12 July

All of the players from FRANCE are aware that they will play in the most important match of their professional careers on Sunday. Since 16h30 Saturday, the national training centre (CNT) in Clairefontaine (south of PARIS), which has housed the players since early June, has been closed to the public. At 12h00, national team coach Aimé JACQUET and team captain Didier DESCHAMPS (7) gave the last press conference before the prestigious FRANCE-BRAZIL match-up.

Saturday afternoon, the players trained for the last time. How will Sunday bode for the FRANCE team? The players will wake up between 8h30 and 10h00 and then have breakfast. The team doctor for FRANCE, Dr. Jean-Marcel Ferret, suggests they eat a typical French breakfast, with hot drinks (hot chocolate, coffee, tea), fruit salad and yoghurt. At mid-morning, coach Aimé JACQUET will meet with all of the players in order to prepare them psychologically for meeting the world champions, and motivate them if need be. Before a light lunch, the “Blues” will take a thirty-minute walk in the Clairefontaine forest to take a large breath of fresh air. In the early afternoon, as usual, the players will take a short nap in their rooms and try to relax in order to mentally prepare for the evening match.

The players will all eat together at 17h00, and an hour later, the bus carrying all 22 players will leave the national training centre, arriving at the changing rooms of the Stade de France in SAINT-DENIS at 18h50. The players will take the pitch for the first time at 20h14 to warm-up, right after the eighty thousand spectators sing the official song of FRANCE 98 “La copa de la vida”, sung by Ricky Martin and his band.