It is what happens in revolutions: yesterday's rebels turn into tomorrow's figureheads. Or as the France midfield player Samir Nasri put it, talking to compatriot reporters ahead of tomorrow night's friendly between Norway and Les Bleus: "Normally, you assume that those who have been left out are the ones who have done something wrong. This time, it's the guys who weren't there who have their chance."
Nasri, of Arsenal, is one of the 22 men in the first squad chosen by Laurent Blanc, the new France head coach, a party with a striking feature: none of the 23 players who travelled to South Africa for the disastrous World Cup expedition have been picked.
As many as 13 could win their first caps in Oslo, all of them looking up to the likes of Nasri, Real Madrid's Karim Benzema and Lassana Diarra or Roma's Philippe Mexes as the new seniors, the leaders of Blanc's rebuild.
In London tonight, a makeover almost as radical will get under way for Italy, as they meet Ivory Coast at Upton Park. They too are under a new head coach - like Blanc, Cesare Prandelli had been appointed even before the Azzurri's defence of their World Cup fizzled out within three matches - and he is offering a looking-glass world for Italian fans to peer at.
Antonio Cassano, once an apparently incorrigible rebel, assumes the rule of wise general, the experienced schemer in a forward line that will include two debutants, the headstrong teenager Mario Balotelli and the Brazil-born Amauri.
The Italians, who left South Africa with a mere two points in the group stage, are looking ahead with the sound of revolutionary rhetoric in the background. "Year Zero", the pink pages of the Gazzetta dello Sport are calling this period, urging Italy to think creatively about starting with a clean slate.
Prandelli, popular and admired for his work with Fiorentina and before that Parma, was always obliged to make changes, given the average age of the party his predecessor Marcello Lippi took to the World Cup. But he has shown that some of Lippi's dogmas will be breezily cast aside, or at least reviewed.
Cassano's good form for Sampdoria has for two years trailed a bandwagon of support for his international recall, to which Lippi's response was usually a comment along the lines of 'respecting the harmony of the group', the implication that Cassano, who confesses to having had a turbulent time while at Bari, Roma and Real Madrid and to some unprofessional lifestyle habits, would be more trouble, as a potential disruptive influence, than he was worth as an imaginative attacking player, of the type Italy appear short of.
As for Balotelli, enough coaches - namely Pierluigi Casiraghi with the Italy Under 21s, and Jose Mourinho with Inter Milan - have struggled to tame the striker that Lippi barely paused to consider taking him to the World Cup. Balotelli has found himself - not always, but too often because of his own actions or statements - involved in as many controversies, clashes with fans, bosses, opponents or colleagues, as successes in his short senior career. But he is a wonderful talent, with explosive pace, strength and aggression.
It is also in Italy's interest to respond to Balotelli's stated commitment to the Azzurri as the team he wants to represent internationally. His natural parents are both Ghanaians, and the African side, who reached the quarter-finals of the World Cup, have been keen to persuade him that he should exercise his right to play for the Black Stars. Only when he has played a senior competitive game for Italy will that possibility disappear.
In the case of Amauri, who unlike Balotelli did not grow up in Italy, dual nationality seemed to count against him under Lippi, who showed scepticism about the Juventus striker's commitment to Italy, for whom Amauri qualified as a citizen only last year.
Blanc started his job with a blank sheet of paper because of the mutiny of the France squad in South Africa. Once the players had refused to train one day there, as they slumped out of the tournament, the French Federation demanded they be dropped en masse for one game. So Blanc will not be resented by those he may eventually recall.
A member of the 1998 World Cup-winning squad, he starts off with a bank of popularity and is following the least liked head coach in Les Bleus' history, Raymond Domenech. Domenech effectively fell out with all his players in June, but had already antagonised Nasri and with Benzema, who said he preferred club football to national duty.
After the mutiny, these are the young men best placed to seek new bounties. "It's not so much a second chance as our opportunity to take responsibility in a fresh beginning under a new coach," added Nasri. "We are 23 years old now, and so we don't have the excuses of youth. There's a train for us to catch, and we mustn't miss it."
@Email:sports@thenational.ae
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, first leg
Liverpool v Roma
When: April 24, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Anfield, Liverpool
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
The specs: 2018 Audi Q5/SQ5
Price, base: Dh183,900 / Dh249,000
Engine: 2.0L, turbocharged in-line four-cylinder / 3.0L, turbocharged V6
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic / Eight-speed automatic
Power: 252hp @ 5,000rpm / 354hp @ 5,400rpm
Torque: 370Nm @ 1,600rpm / 500Nm @ 1,370rpm
Fuel economy: combined 7.2L / 100km / 8.3L / 100km
MANDOOB
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UAE SQUAD
Ahmed Raza (Captain), Rohan Mustafa, Jonathan Figy, CP Rizwan, Junaid Siddique, Mohammad Usman, Basil Hameed, Zawar Farid, Vriitya Aravind (WK), Waheed Ahmed, Karthik Meiyappan, Zahoor Khan, Darius D'Silva, Chirag Suri
Coffee: black death or elixir of life?
It is among the greatest health debates of our time; splashed across newspapers with contradicting headlines - is coffee good for you or not?
Depending on what you read, it is either a cancer-causing, sleep-depriving, stomach ulcer-inducing black death or the secret to long life, cutting the chance of stroke, diabetes and cancer.
The latest research - a study of 8,412 people across the UK who each underwent an MRI heart scan - is intended to put to bed (caffeine allowing) conflicting reports of the pros and cons of consumption.
The study, funded by the British Heart Foundation, contradicted previous findings that it stiffens arteries, putting pressure on the heart and increasing the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke, leading to warnings to cut down.
Numerous studies have recognised the benefits of coffee in cutting oral and esophageal cancer, the risk of a stroke and cirrhosis of the liver.
The benefits are often linked to biologically active compounds including caffeine, flavonoids, lignans, and other polyphenols, which benefit the body. These and othetr coffee compounds regulate genes involved in DNA repair, have anti-inflammatory properties and are associated with lower risk of insulin resistance, which is linked to type-2 diabetes.
But as doctors warn, too much of anything is inadvisable. The British Heart Foundation found the heaviest coffee drinkers in the study were most likely to be men who smoked and drank alcohol regularly.
Excessive amounts of coffee also unsettle the stomach causing or contributing to stomach ulcers. It also stains the teeth over time, hampers absorption of minerals and vitamins like zinc and iron.
It also raises blood pressure, which is largely problematic for people with existing conditions.
So the heaviest drinkers of the black stuff - some in the study had up to 25 cups per day - may want to rein it in.
Rory Reynolds
The biog
Favourite food: Fish and seafood
Favourite hobby: Socialising with friends
Favourite quote: You only get out what you put in!
Favourite country to visit: Italy
Favourite film: Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.
Family: We all have one!
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
Du Football Champions
The fourth season of du Football Champions was launched at Gitex on Wednesday alongside the Middle East’s first sports-tech scouting platform.“du Talents”, which enables aspiring footballers to upload their profiles and highlights reels and communicate directly with coaches, is designed to extend the reach of the programme, which has already attracted more than 21,500 players in its first three years.
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Scores in brief:
- New Medical Centre 129-5 in 17 overs bt Zayed Cricket Academy 125-6 in 20 overs.
- William Hare Abu Dhabi Gymkhana 188-8 in 20 overs bt One Stop Tourism 184-8 in 20 overs
- Alubond Tigers 138-7 in 20 overs bt United Bank Limited 132-7 in 20 overs
- Multiplex 142-6 in 17 overs bt Xconcepts Automobili 140 all out in 20 overs
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Three ways to boost your credit score
Marwan Lutfi says the core fundamentals that drive better payment behaviour and can improve your credit score are:
1. Make sure you make your payments on time;
2. Limit the number of products you borrow on: the more loans and credit cards you have, the more it will affect your credit score;
3. Don't max out all your debts: how much you maximise those credit facilities will have an impact. If you have five credit cards and utilise 90 per cent of that credit, it will negatively affect your score.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
