CORNERFLICK
France’s first home match under Zinedine Zidane has sold out in less than 24 hours, with the Stade de France set for a full house on 2 October against Italy.
Zidane’s home debut draws huge demand
The ticket rush underlines the anticipation around Zidane’s first appearance on the France bench on home soil. The fixture will be his first home game in charge and comes during a busy nine-day international window.
France start their campaign away to Turkey on 25 September, then face Belgium in another away match before returning to Paris for the Italy game. A fourth match in the run is also against Belgium on 5 October.
New era begins after Deschamps
Zidane said at his presentation that coaching France was a dream and that he had turned down several club offers over the past four or five years because he only wanted the national job.
The former Real Madrid manager arrives with a strong reputation after winning three straight Champions League titles, and France fans are already hoping he can transfer the success he enjoyed as a player into the dugout.