TIGNES // A week in the scenic French Alps seems to have done wonders for France, who now have a healthy Williams Gallas and a vastly improved mood in the team.
France left their picturesque base yesterday with their 23-man squad for the World Cup in South Africa finalised and in a relaxed and confident mood after a number of concerns were overcome.
Raymond Domenech, the coach, who has been under fire since his side's disappointing Euro 2008 campaign, organised several strange group activities in search of harmony, such as a hike up a glacier, an introduction to biathlon and even a dune buggy race.
The players loved it, even Gallas, who survived a fright when his buggy rolled over, and all the players said they could feel a genuine team spirit blooming.
Domenech, the man France fans love to hate, even cracked a few smiles and did not lose his cool when Lassana Diarra, the Real Madrid midfielder, was ruled out of the World Cup by illness.
The coach eventually decided late on Monday that Diarra would not be replaced after seeing Gallas, who had been doubtful because of a sore left calf, train without any problems.
Domenech, who had brought 24 players to Tignes because of concerns about Gallas, found himself with 23 after Diarra had to leave and, after the Arsenal defender was ruled fit to play, decided those would travel to South Africa.
"It's complicated to take somebody out and we've had Lassana Diarra who's had a real problem," Domenech said.
"Then we found ourselves with 23 players so we no longer needed to make a choice because that group here keep showing us that we can trust them. Those 23 players will take us all the way."
Saying France, who needed an infamous Thierry Henry handball to qualify through a play-off at the expense of the Republic of Ireland, will win the World Cup may seem a little premature.
The mood in the ski village, surrounded by rugged snow-capped peaks and almost like a ghost town in the spring, however, has surprised many observers. All the French players have been saying that they were having fun together and were determined to prove their worth on the pitch.
Such statements were hardly ever heard before Euro 2008, where a miserable atmosphere and a rift between the younger players in the squad and the more experienced ones marred a campaign that ended with a group-stage exit.
Domenech, who will be replaced by Laurent Blanc after the World Cup, may feel there is no pressure on him, with French fans and media generally feeling the team has no chance to make an impact on the pitches of South Africa.
The coach even made a bold move in the penultimate training session in Tignes, fielding a 4-3-3 formation instead of his preferred, more defensive 4-2-3-1 system.
The fans watching the session applauded, hoping the cautious tactics that have frustrated them for years might soon make way for a more exciting brand of football.
France play Costa Rica tonight in Lens in the first of three warm-up games for the World Cup, where they will face hosts South Africa, Mexico and Uruguay in Group A.
* Reuters
France v Costa Rica, 11pm, Aljazeera Sport +3
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
'C'mon C'mon'
Director:Mike Mills
Stars:Joaquin Phoenix, Gaby Hoffmann, Woody Norman
Rating: 4/5
Honeymoonish
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About Karol Nawrocki
• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.
• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.
• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.
• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
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Price: From Dh590,000
The five pillars of Islam
Blonde
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MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FINAL RECKONING
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Starring: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg
Rating: 4/5
Analysis
Maros Sefcovic is juggling multiple international trade agreement files, but his message was clear when he spoke to The National on Wednesday.
The EU-UAE bilateral trade deal will be finalised soon, he said. It is in everyone’s interests to do so. Both sides want to move quickly and are in alignment. He said the UAE is a very important partner for the EU. It’s full speed ahead - and with some lofty ambitions - on the road to a free trade agreement.
We also talked about US-EU tariffs. He answered that both sides need to talk more and more often, but he is prepared to defend Europe's position and said diplomacy should be a guiding principle through the current moment.
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
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- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
Small Victories: The True Story of Faith No More by Adrian Harte
Jawbone Press
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
SPECS
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if you go
The flights
Fly direct to Kutaisi with Flydubai from Dh925 return, including taxes. The flight takes 3.5 hours. From there, Svaneti is a four-hour drive. The driving time from Tbilisi is eight hours.
The trip
The cost of the Svaneti trip is US$2,000 (Dh7,345) for 10 days, including food, guiding, accommodation and transfers from and to Tbilisi or Kutaisi. This summer the TCT is also offering a 5-day hike in Armenia for $1,200 (Dh4,407) per person. For further information, visit www.transcaucasiantrail.org/en/hike/
ELECTION%20RESULTS
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The Brutalist
Director: Brady Corbet
Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn
Rating: 3.5/5
box
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: Letstango.com
Started: June 2013
Founder: Alex Tchablakian
Based: Dubai
Industry: e-commerce
Initial investment: Dh10 million
Investors: Self-funded
Total customers: 300,000 unique customers every month
