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Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
France drop Renard, Le Sommer and Dali in shock cull before Women's Euros
France have dropped their captain Wendie Renard, their vice-captain Eugénie Le Sommer and the experienced midfielder Kenza Dali for their upcoming Nations League games with little prospect of them making a return for this summer's Euros. Laurent Bonadei's side face Switzerland and Iceland in the international window. There had been reports of the trio being left out but the announcement still came as a shock. France are one of the favourites for the European Championship in Switzerland but have been drawn in a tough group with England, the Netherlands and Wales. Advertisement Related: Disney+ to enter women's football market with Champions League rights 'These are tough choices,' Bonadei said. 'They are difficult to make and difficult to announce to the players. It's a decision that's hard to hear, hard to understand and almost impossible for them to accept because they're legendary players for the French team. 'I didn't make this decision on the spur of the moment. You'd think, given the timing, that this is crazy but it's not. As Einstein said: 'Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.' I want different results for this team so I have gone with a different selection.' France have never won a major tournament and were eliminated by Brazil in the quarter-finals of last summer's Olympics in Paris. Renard, Le Sommer and Dali were all in that squad. Bonadei refused to confirm whether they were definitely out for the Euros but did say: 'It's something I've been thinking about since the start of the season. When I announced that everyone had a chance, that no one was indispensable, in my mind it wasn't just about giving young players a chance but also players who had suffered psychologically after the Olympic Games and making sure that everyone was involved.' Advertisement Le Sommer and Renard have partly paid for their lack of playing time over the last few national team gatherings. The forward Le Sommer, who has 200 caps and was due to be honoured in Nancy before the game against Switzerland on 30 June, played only 27 minutes in the past four France games. Renard missed three of those through injury, with her former Lyon teammate Griedge Mbock shining alongside Maëlle Lakrar against Ada Hegerberg's Norway. 'Things happened naturally, with a mix of generations in the first few games and we racked up four wins from four Nations League matches. In those four games the playing time for these players was fairly limited. My thoughts were refined, in consultation with my staff, so I made my decision,' Bonadei said. He called each of them on Tuesday before Thursday's announcement, something he does not normally do. The decision to drop Renard and Le Sommer means Bonadei needs to select a new captain. 'In January I created a group of 12 key players and I asked Eugénie and Wendie to get involved in passing on the baton to some of those who would be taking the lead,' Bonadei said. 'Succeeding Wendie as captain is a big task. I'll be talking to them at the start of the training camp.' Grace Geyoro, Sakina Karchaoui, Sandie Toletti, Pauline Peyraud-Magnin and Mbock are among those players who have taken the armband with Selma Bacha and Lakrar also mentioned as possible future captains.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
France leave Wendie Renard, Eugenie Le Sommer and Kenza Dali out of Nations League squad
France have left captain Wendie Renard, record appearance-maker Eugenie Le Sommer and Kenza Dali out of the squad for their upcoming Nations League games against Switzerland and Iceland. The trio have a combined total of 444 caps for the national side. Advertisement Head coach Laurent Bonadei said that he was trying something different with his team selection but did not say that the players would be out of contention for Euro 2025, which is set to take place from July 2 to 27. '(These decisions) are difficult to make and difficult to announce to the players,' said Bonadei. 'It's a decision that's hard to hear, hard to understand and almost impossible for them to accept because they're legendary players for the French team. 'I didn't make this decision on the spur of the moment. You'd think, given the timing, that this is crazy but it's not. As Einstein said: 'Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.' I want different results for this team so I have gone with a different selection. 'It is the end of the season, but I started the process months ago, at the beginning of the season, I announced back then that everyone has a chance and no one is indispensable and I not only decided to give an opportunity to the young players but also to the older ones.' Bonadei added that the players had suffered mentally after competing at last summer's Olympics in Paris, where they were knocked out in the quarter-finals by Brazil. Advertisement Renard, 34, made her France debut in 2011 and has been capped 168 times by the team. The centre-back has played her entire club career for the newly-rebranded OL Lyonnes and is one of most successful players in women's club competition history, winning 18 French league titles and the Champions League 18 times. Despite her domestic success, Renard has been unable to help France win their first ever major tournament but had her eye on changing that this summer. 'That's my goal (winning Euro 2025), she told in April. We've got a project under way. Now, we need to keep our feet on the ground, not talk, stay in our corner and work.' Le Sommer has been capped 200 times and is France's all-time leading goalscorer, in both men and women's competition, with 94 goals. The 36-year-old also plies her trade for OL Lyonnes, where she has made 424 appearances and scored 287 goals. Advertisement Dali, 33, has appeared 76 times for the national side. She signed a two-year deal with the San Diego Wave of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) in January, The midfielder spent the previous five-and-a-half years in England, playing for West Ham United, Everton and Aston Villa. She played at the 2023 World Cup and 2024 Olympics after overcoming a career-threatening injury. France have been drawn in Group D at Euro 2025 alongside England, Wales and the Netherlands. This article originally appeared in The Athletic. France, International Football, UK Women's Football 2025 The Athletic Media Company
