February 16, 2011
By Staff Reporter
Lizarazu, a 34-year-old fullback who was a member of triumphant 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000 French sides, joins fellow defenders Marcel Desailly and Lilian Thuram in international retirement with more departures expected.
The trio had been the mainstay of the French defense for a decade with 316 caps between them. Lizarazu, first capped in 1992, made 97 appearances, Thuram 103, and Desailly a French record 116.
Their departure leaves two players very familiar to Irish fans — Manchester United’s Mikael Silvestre and Chelsea center half William Gallas — as the pillars of the French defense.
A bigger blow for the French, who play Bosnia next Wednesday in new coach Raymond Domenech’s first match in charge, could be the possible retirement of midfield maestro Zinedine Zidane.
Domenech has been trying to talk Zidane into staying on board for the duration of the World Cup qualifiers, amid French reports that the Real Madrid ace is also mulling retirement from the national side.
“I need the [veterans] in the team,” Domenech said last week, insisting that even at age 32, Zidane remains essential to the French squad.
Domenech’s concern is understandable. He has inherited a star-studded, albeit unsettled squad that is coming off a disappointing European Championship in Portugal where eventual winners Greece ended their reign at the quarterfinal stage (1-0).
When the 2006 World Cup qualifying draw was made in December 2003, France seemed a shoo-in for the automatic berth in the finals that goes to the group winners.
But on current form, Group 4 appears a toss up between them Ireland and perhaps Switzerland, with Israel and Cyprus likely to play spoilers and the Faroe Islands the group’s designated whipping boys.
QUALIFYING FIXTURES
The complete Germany ’06 qualifying fixtures for Group 4 are (home teams listed first):
Sept. 4, 2004: Ireland vs. Cyprus, France vs. Israel, Switzerland vs. Faroe Islands; Sept. 8: Switzerland vs. Ireland, Faroe Islands vs. France, Israel vs. Cyprus; Oct. 9: France vs. Ireland, Israel vs. Switzerland, Cyprus vs. Faroe Islands; Oct. 13: Ireland vs. Faroe Islands, Cyprus vs. France; Nov. 17: Israel vs. Cyprus.
March 26, 2005: Israel vs. Ireland, Switzerland vs. France; March 30: Israel vs. France, Switzerland vs. Cyprus; June 4: Ireland vs. Israel, Switzerland vs. Faroe Islands; June 8: Faroe Islands vs. Ireland; Sept. 3: France vs. Faroe Islands, Switzerland vs. Israel; Sept. 7: Ireland vs. France, Cyprus vs. Switzerland, Faroe Islands vs. Israel.
Oct. 8, 2005: Cyprus vs. Ireland, France vs. Switzerland, Israel vs. Faroe Islands; Oct. 12: Ireland vs. Switzerland, France vs. Cyprus.
IRISH TICKET REQUEST
Shrugging off security concerns, the Football Association of Ireland has requested 600 tickets from their Israeli counterparts for the Republic’s trip to Tel Aviv next March.
This has cheered the hosts, who have also received a similar query from Switzerland for their visit to the Israeli capital in October.
“They have been in touch and we are ready to welcome hundreds of fans from Switzerland and Ireland,” Israeli FA spokesman Shaul Eisenberg said.
UEFA last April lifted a two-year ban on international games in Israel imposed because of the security situation in that country.