“In early June, I had an appointment at the French Football Federation (FFF) headquarters, a modern building with lots of glass and light in Paris’ 15th arrondisement. The place hummed with activity and there was a contagious undercurrent of optimism and eager anticipation. My visit occurred just after the last of Les Bleus’ three pre-World Cup tune-up matches (a win vs Norway, 4-0; a draw vs. Paraguay, 1-1; a win vs Jamaica, 8-0), so perhaps those successes fed into the confidence emanating from 87, boulevard de Grenelle. Yet, the atmosphere differed from September, when the air was more heavily perfumed with the “we’ve got hard work to do” odor of determination. This time around, even the French media, often highly critical of Les Bleus, reflected an upbeat sentiment.” New Republic

“This story first appeared in Eight by Eight magazine’s World Cup issue. ICON (also ikon) 1. A devotional painting of Christ or another holy figure, typically executed on wood and used ceremonially in the Byzantine and other Eastern Churches. 2. A person or thing regarded as a representative symbol or as worthy of veneration: ‘this iron-jawed icon of American manhood.’ So says the Oxford English Dictionary. ‘Zinedine Zidane’ would be a tempting addition: ‘regarded … as worthy of veneration’—yes, certainly. When your face is beamed on the Arc de Triomphe on the night of France’s greatest-ever sporting exploit, of which you’ve been the undoubted hero, how could you not be? To acknowledge Zidane’s iconic status does not necessarily mean, however, that it was bestowed on him by a nation united in gratitude, as I was recently reminded in a Paris cab.” New Republic

“The goals came so easy, and so often, for France in its first two games at the World Cup that one could be forgiven for assuming it might never end. Three against Honduras. Five against Switzerland. When the well went dry in a scoreless tie against Ecuador on Wednesday, there were bound to be questions. Just do not bring them to France’s coach, Didier Deschamps. Unbeaten and safely in the second round as the first-place team in his group, he was not really interested in hearing them.” NY Times

Ramadan Poses Test to Muslim Players at World Cup
“Down the quiet, tree-lined Rua Gonzaga Bastos, less than half a mile from Estádio do Maracanã, the custodian of this city’s only mosque was preparing for the busiest time of the year. Mohamed Zeinhom Abdien, the custodian, was sitting at a desk opposite messy piles of boxes containing thousands of leaflets about Islam written in Portuguese, English and Arabic. The observance of Ramadan, one of Islam’s five pillars, is a religious obligation in which Muslims fast and forgo any liquids from dawn until dusk over the course of a month. The month begins Saturday night, and Abdien’s usually quiet mosque has been inundated with newcomers.” NY Times

“It was a gorgeous, ruthless finish from Karim Benzema: a perfectly timed swing of the right leg on the move from the French striker that put the ball into the upper-left corner of the Switzerland goal. The problem was that it did not count, with the referee Bjorn Kuipers indicating that he had blown the final whistle just before Benzema pounced. On a normal night and in a normal World Cup, this could have been pivotal, at the very least a source of heated debate, but at this stage it only produced Gallic shrugs. Everyone — except for Swiss players and fans — had already seen or scored enough goals to feel satisfied. So it has gone all over Brazil, and France’s 5-2 victory on this steamy Friday night was merely the latest indication in this delightful World Cup that defenders no longer rule.” NY Times

Fans of Algeria’s soccer team celebrate World Cup qualification in Algiers on Nov. 19, 2013. Twelve people died in the celebrations.
“Today we continue our series on politics, political science and the World Cup (here are posts 1, 2, and 3) with a look at identity, politics, and football in Algeria and France. First up is Tony Ross, who examines how soccer got tied up in Algeria’s struggle for independence but now exemplifies the country’s continued ties to France.” Washington Post

“France makes national football teams like it makes wine: generally older, kind of snooty about it, sometimes great, but often overhyped. And sometimes, like at the 2010 World Cup, you get one that’s gone extremely bad. Except maybe not this year. This year, France could be the wildcard. Increasingly in the lead-up to this summer, the country is breaking in a group of young, exciting players, and perhaps shifting its identity. Nobody exemplifies that more than Antoine Griezmann.” Grantland