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Negotiations are continuing between the French and Algerian federations for a friendly Algeria-France in 2020. A meeting that would partly correct a quasi-anomaly. In fact, despite close ties with Africa, the "Blues" rarely face African selections. And they have played very little on this continent, for more than a century.
This 15 October 2019 near Lille, the Algerian team won a brilliant victory against Colombia (3-0), in France. But to see the French team play a match on the Algerian soil, it will be necessary to wait until 2020, at least.
Organizing meetings against African selections is not an easy thing, according to Noël Le Graët. In May 2016, the president of the French Football Federation (FFF) answered questions from rfi.fr on the links between French and African football. And he was already pointing out a big agenda problem. " Do not go play in Africa is a heartbreaker. I have wanted to go for a long time , he explained. A displacement is always possible. But provided an African team is also available. However, we see that the calendars are not harmonized .
A first face to a selection of the CAF, in 1972
Nevertheless, while Spain, Portugal have been playing in Africa in recent years, Brazil has yet to face African selections (Senegal, Nigeria), the few confrontations between the "Blues" and African teams look like an anomaly.
The French team played its very first game on May 1, 1904, against Belgium, in Brussels. Since then she has played 858 official matches [1] . Yet, we have to wait for her 344th outing to see her rub herself against Africans. It is June 15, 1972, in very special circumstances, as recalls the website of the French Football Federation (FFF): " For its second match in the framework of the Independence Cup, France [...] ] is not opposed to a national team, but to an African selection made by the African Football Confederation. In Maceió, Brazil, an eleven including Henri Michel beats 2-0 a "composition Africa" with the Ivorian Laurent Pokou and the Egyptian Hassan Shehata in his ranks.
Very rare matches
Six years later, the "Blues" finally face a real national team from across the Mediterranean. It is May 19, 1978 against Tunisia (2-0), in Villeneuve d'Ascq. That is more than fifteen years after the end of the Algerian War and more than two decades after the Moroccan and Tunisian independence.
For the tricolor to go the other way, it is necessary to wait twenty years. It is indeed only on May 27, 1998 that the French play for the first time in Africa. It is in Casablanca, facing the ... Belgium (1-0). The band Zinedine Zidane then participates in the Hassan II Tournament. Two days later, the "Atlas Lions" tie (2-2) against the future world champions. France is then in more than 550 official matches.
Best during the 2000s
In tournament, it is precisely on the occasion of the World Cup 1998 that the "Blues" cross the iron for the first time with a team of Africa. The South Africans, who came to Lens a few months earlier, lost 3-0. It is also in South Africa, after a meeting with Nelson Mandela, that the winners of Euro 2000 finally play a game in Black Africa. October 7, 2000 in Johannesburg (0-0).
As for the first meeting against a selection of French-speaking black Africa, it took place a few days earlier (4 October) at the Stade de France. Cameroon's Samuel Eto'o and Patrick Mboma defeat the band Thierry Henry (1-1).
This is the only time in their history where the French play two games in a row against African selections. There is however the best in the 2000s with at least one match against an African team, almost every year.
A slowdown in recent years
And the first defeat of France? It was in the opening match of the 2002 World Cup, against Senegal El Hadji Diouf (0-1). A memorable encounter for Lions fans. There are, however, other setbacks afterwards. The first, at home, it is against Nigeria, in Saint-Etienne in 2009 (0-1). The one in Africa is in full World 2010, facing the South Africans (1-2), after the Knysna affair.
Since this slap, synonymous with pitiful elimination in the first round, confrontations are more rare. There have been only three in nine years. Result, in just under 50 years and more than 500 games, the Tricolores have played 25 times against African selections. And they played 10 games in Africa in 115 years of existence.
[1] According to the database of the FFF.
THE TEAMS OF THE FRANCE TEAM FACING AFRICAN SELECTIONS
France - Africa , on June 15, 1972 in Maceio (friendly) 2-0
France - Tunisia , May 19, 1978 in Villeneuve d'Ascq (friendly) 2-0
France - Morocco , February 5, 1988 in Monaco (friendly) 2-1
France - South Africa , October 11, 1997 in Lens (friendly) 2-1
Morocco - France , May 29, 1998 in Casablanca (Hassan II Tournament) 2-2
France - South Africa , June 12, 1998 in Marseille (World Cup 1998) 3-0
France - Morocco , January 20, 1999 in Marseille (friendly) 1-0
Morocco - France , June 6, 2000 in Casablanca (friendly) 1-5
France - Cameroon , October 4, 2000 in Saint-Denis (friendly) 1-1
South Africa - France , October 7, 2000 in Johannesburg (friendly) 0-0
France - Algeria , October 6, 2001 in Saint-Denis (friendly) 4-1
France - Senegal , May 31, 2002 in Seoul (World 2002) 0-1
Tunisia - France , August 21, 2002 in Tunis (friendly) 1-1
France - Egypt , April 30, 2003 in Saint-Denis (friendly) 5-0
France - Cameroon , June 29, 2003 in Saint-Denis (Confederations Cup) 1-0
France - Ivory Coast , August 17, 2005 in Montpellier (friendly) 3-0
France - Togo , June 23, 2006 in Cologne (World Cup 2006) 2-0
France - Morocco , November 16, 2007 in Saint-Denis (friendly) 2-2
France - Tunisia , October 14, 2008 in Saint-Denis (friendly) 3-1
France - Nigeria , June 2, 2009 in Saint-Étienne (friendly) 0-1
Tunisia - France , May 30, 2010 in Radès (friendly) 1-1
South Africa - France , June 22, 2010 at Bloemfontein (World Cup 2010) 2-1
France - Nigeria , June 30, 2014 in Brasilia (World Cup 2014) 2-0
France - Cameroon , May 30, 2016 in Nantes (friendly) 3-2
France - Ivory Coast , November 15, 2016 in Lens (friendly) 0-0