MONTPELLIER, 29 May 2004 — France extended their unbeaten streak to 17 matches, albeit against modest opposition yesterday, brushing aside Andorra 4-0 in a Euro 2004 preparation match here.
Sylvain Wiltord put an injury-hit season behind him picking up two goals while Louis Saha and Steve Marlet, making rare starts, also got in on the act as Andorra were overwhelmed in a second-half onslaught.
The European champions struggled to get going as coach Jacques Santini left Zinedine Zidane, Thierry Henry and David Trezeguet on the bench and fielded an experimental side that were slow to find their rhythm.
Robert Pires cut a lively figure and was impressive in his bid to nail down a starting spot in the talented France midfield for Euro, and the build-up to the Group B opener against England on June 13 is gathering pace with each day.
“I can’t wait for Euro to start and I am happy to play England first because sometimes it is difficult to begin a tournament against a weaker team and find the right motivation. It will be D-Day for us,” said Zidane.
Marlet will be particularly delighted with his goal after coming under criticism since his selection to the squad when many pundits claimed he was just on the team because he played under Santini at Lyon in 2001.
Saha also impressed as France again demonstrated their strength in depth from the goalkeeper Gregory Coupet who is challenging for the No. 1 job ahead of Fabien Barthez right through to the front line in a squad littered with talent.
There was some bad news for France on Friday when Monaco skipper Ludovic Giuly was ruled out of the tournament after tearing a muscle during the 3-0 defeat against Porto in Wednesday’s Champions League final.
Kenya on Brink of FIFA Suspension
Kenya is on the brink of being suspended by FIFA for government interference in the running of their football federation and could be kicked out of the World Cup qualifiers, officials said.
FIFA is to give the Kenyan government a deadline of midnight on June 1 to reinstate all officials of the Kenyan Football Federation (KFF) previously removed from their posts by sports minister Najib Balala.
If not, Kenya will be banned from international competition, including the qualifiers for the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
