Zidane appointment process sparks internal row at French FA

Zinedine Zidane’s expected appointment as France head coach has triggered an internal dispute at the French Football Federation (FFF), with vice-president Jean-Michel Aulas publicly criticising how the process is being handled.

According to French newspaper L’Equipe, members of the FFF’s executive committee received an invitation on Thursday to attend an extraordinary meeting next Tuesday morning. That meeting is scheduled to take place shortly before the official unveiling of the new France coach, with all indications pointing towards Zidane replacing Didier Deschamps.

However, Aulas has expressed dissatisfaction with both the timing of the meeting and the communication surrounding it, arguing that key information reached the media before it was formally shared with senior officials inside the organisation.

Aulas condemns communication ‘mechanism’

In an email sent to fellow members of the executive committee, Aulas voiced his frustration at learning details of the meeting and the coaching appointment plan through press reports.

He wrote: “دعوة يوم الخميس لاجتماع يعقد الثلاثاء المقبل، وفي فترة الاجازات؟ بالنسبة لي سيكون الحضور مستحيلا، ولن اتمكن الا من المشاركة عبر تقنية الفيديو”.

He continued: “ليس من اللايق ان تكون الصحف على علم بكل شيء قبلنا. اشعر بالانزعاج من هذه الالية. واذا كانت هناك نية لعقد موتمر صحفي الثلاثاء، فكان من الافضل عقد اجتماع قبل نهاية الاسبوع، احتراما للمسار الديمقراطي وروح العمل المشترك”.

Aulas’ intervention is the first open objection from within the FFF’s leadership to the way the Zidane file is being managed, coming at a moment when preparations for the formal announcement are intensifying.

Formal procedure and expected announcement

L’Equipe reports that the FFF’s internal procedure for appointing a national team coach begins with the federation president, Philippe Diallo, selecting his preferred candidate. That choice is then submitted to the executive committee, whose role is to ratify the decision officially.

The FFF has already confirmed, in an official statement, that Diallo will hold a press conference on the morning of Tuesday 28 July, immediately after the extraordinary executive committee meeting. The stated purpose of the media briefing is to present the new head coach of the France national team.

That event is widely expected to serve as the stage for the long‐anticipated confirmation of Zidane’s arrival in charge of “Les Bleus”, succeeding Deschamps.

Tension ahead of a landmark appointment

The disagreement over process comes at a highly sensitive moment for the FFF, with the appointment of a new France coach regarded as one of the most significant decisions the federation can make.

Aulas’ complaints centre not on the identity of the likely appointee, but on issues of governance, transparency and respect for internal democratic procedures, particularly the timing of the meeting during a holiday period and the perception that journalists were briefed before executive members.

Despite this internal tension, the federation’s timetable remains in place, with the extraordinary meeting and subsequent press conference set to formalise the next era for the France national team under Zidane, barring any late change to Diallo’s proposal or the executive committee’s expected approval.