At the request of the president of the FFF, the French football team intends to organize part of its travel by train, and no longer by plane.
“Our national teams will take the train for all trips of less than three hours. » The announcement dates from November, and it is signed by the president of the FFF, Philippe Diallo. As the French XV was able to do during the Rugby World Cup, Didier Deschamps’ French team could therefore abandon the plane for some of its trips, in order to opt for a more ecological means of transport.
One of the main obstacles mentioned by the Blues or PSG is the safety of the players, Kylian Mbappé & Co, who would find themselves much closer to the public during their travels. But it remains playable, according to Mohamed Sanhadji, the “Mr. Security” of the French team.
The Blues by train? It’s possible !
“I was there in 2004 when we traveled with the selection to Rennes by train, so we have our automatisms, explains to RTL the one who is a liaison and security officer seconded to the French team. We updated them recently with the Espoirs and the women’s teams, but the file is ready. It also requires mobilization of human and technical resources. It is obvious that when traveling by train, there are law enforcement officers who will be mobilized in the stations and the transfer must be organized. These are commercial trains, we can’t harm other customers either. But all of these are things that can be achieved. With partners, we can meet any challenge. »
Mohamed Sanhadji, however, would like to point out that it is not always easy for a football team to favor the train over the plane, for reasons of saving time. “Unlikely, national rugby teams have a transfer day. It’s different, they have a match every week, every two weeks. We (the French football team) have a match every three days, he recalls. When you have to train the day before the match, you have 48 hours, so any time you can save is beneficial. »
