By Arinze Izik
Zinedine Zidane has named his backroom staff after taking over from Didier Deschamps as France head coach, with the French Football Federation, FFF, confirming the appointments on Thursday.
The 1998 World Cup winner has brought back former teammate Fabien Barthez to work with the national team goalkeepers. The legendary shot-stopper will lead the goalkeeping department under Zidane.
The FFF president Philippe Diallo ratified the new appointments, which were all proposed by Zidane. The former Real Madrid boss was officially presented on July 28 and will have his full staff formally introduced to the media in early September.
The most notable name on the list is Barthez, who won the World Cup and Euro 2000 alongside Zidane with Les Bleus. Their reunion adds significant experience to the national team setup.
Zidane will also be joined by several trusted aides from his time at Real Madrid. David Bettoni comes in as assistant manager, while Hamidou Msaidie has been appointed as another assistant coach.
Stephane Plancque will serve as scout and tactical analyst, and Gregory Dupont takes the role of performance and strategy advisor. The technical team is completed by video and data assistants Farid Tabet and Clement Ybert.
One notable omission is Bernard Diomede. The former winger had been linked with a role but did not make the final list.
The FFF also confirmed that a liaison officer will be added later under an agreement with the French Ministry of the Interior.
A new medical unit has been put in place as well. Dr Herve Collado will head the department, supported by osteopath Philippe Boixel, podiatrist Marc Retali, and physiotherapists Maxime Matton and Paul Olive
