Former Newcastle star Hatem Ben Arfa not in France squad for Euro 2016
Thursday 12 May 2016 21:33, UK
Hatem Ben Arfa has missed out on a place in the France squad for Euro 2016 but has been named on the standby list.
The ex-Newcastle midfielder had been hopeful of making the squad after relaunching his career at Nice but instead has to settle for a place on the reserve list of eight alongside Manchester United's Morgan Schneiderlin and Alexandre Lacazette, who has been linked with a move to the Premier League.
In naming his 23-man squad for the summer's championships, France coach Didier Deschamps also left out Mathieu Valbuena, involved in the extortion scam over a sex tape which has seen Real Madrid's Karim Benzema dropped by his country.
The Lyon midfielder has struggled for form and has unsurprisingly been left out of the hosts' squad for the finals.
"Mathieu has had a very difficult season with injuries and his level of performance has been below what he is capable of doing," said Deschamps, who announced his squad live on TF1.
Liverpool defender Mamadou Sakho was also omitted after being suspended for 30 days by UEFA for failing a drugs test. He tested positive for a fat burner after Liverpool's Europa League game against Manchester United in March and was given a provisional ban at the end of April.
Despite the absence of Benzema, who has scored 27 goals in 81 caps, France have named a strong squad, with 10 players plying their trade in the Premier League.
Leicester's N'Golo Kante and West Ham's Dimitri Payet have been selected, while there were also call-ups for the likes of Yohan Cabaye, Moussa Sissoko, Anthony Martial and Olivier Giroud.
France open Euro 2016 against Romania on June 10 before also facing Albania and Switzerland in Group A. Before that they play friendly matches against Cameroon in Nantes on May 30 and Scotland in Metz on June 4.
France squad for Euro 2016:
Goalkeepers: Hugo Lloris (Tottenham), Steve Mandanda (Marseille), Benoit Costil (Rennes)
Defenders: Raphael Varane (Real Madrid), Laurent Koscielny (Arsenal), Eliaquim Mangala (Manchester City), Jeremy Mathieu (Barcelona), Patrice Evra (Juventus), Bacary Sagna (Manchester City), Lucas Digne (Roma), Christophe Jallet (Lyon)
Midfielders: Paul Pogba (Juventus), Blaise Matuidi (Paris Saint-Germain), Lassana Diarra (Marseille), N'Golo Kante (Leicester City), Yohan Cabaye (Crystal Palace), Moussa Sissoko (Newcastle United)
Forwards: Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid), Dimitri Payet (West Ham United), Anthony Martial (Manchester United), Kingsley Coman (Bayern Munich), Olivier Giroud (Arsenal), Andre-Pierre Gignac (Tigres)
Standby: Alphonse Areola (Villarreal), Hatem Ben Arfa (Nice), Kevin Gameiro (Sevilla), Alexandre Lacazette (Lyon), Adrien Rabiot (Paris Saint-Germain), Morgan Schneiderlin (Manchester United), Djibril Sidibe (Lille), Samuel Umtiti (Lyon)
