Zidane to lead France: a 25-person staff and a major overhaul at the FFF

Zinedine Zidane is set to succeed Didier Deschamps as head coach of the France national team, with an official announcement expected next week. But the transition goes far beyond a simple change of manager: the entire French Football Federation is preparing for a major restructuring.

After fourteen years of Deschamps’ reign, marked by exceptional stability, the institution is awaiting a massive reorganization. “We expect a huge overhaul. Deschamps has been in place for fourteen years, some have only known him since they’ve been here. It’s a major upheaval that the FFF is about to experience,” a Federation employee told Le Figaro.

According to L’Équipe, Zidane will arrive with a 25-person support staff, worthy of Europe’s biggest clubs. No member of Deschamps’ technical staff will be retained. The new setup will include specialists in performance, data analysis and video. His loyal assistant David Bettoni is expected to accompany him, while Fabien Barthez’s name is circulating insistently for the position of goalkeeping coach.

One of Zidane’s most striking choices lies in his desire to significantly strengthen the female presence within the France coaching staff. The future head coach wants to integrate women into several key positions in the technical and medical structure, an approach that marks a radical departure from past practices at the helm of the national team.