The first notes of La Marseillaise had already drifted across Izmit on Friday night when Zinédine Zidane and his France staff hurried into place. In an unusual start to his reign, the new France coach was not yet on the pitch as the national anthem began before the Nations League match in Turkey.
The move
Zidane arrived at the France bench a few seconds late, missing the opening of the anthem ahead of his first match in charge of Les Bleus.
He and his staff quickly joined the line, linking arms as they took up La Marseillaise after it had started. It was a small logistical stumble on a landmark evening for the former France midfielder, beginning his tenure as national-team coach.
The delayed arrival may have been part of the unfamiliar routines of a new role, or simply an incident of the evening. Either way, it denied Zidane the full ceremonial moment of hearing the anthem from the touchline for the first time as France manager.
The French season around it
The occasion took place in Izmit, Turkey, during a Nations League fixture on Friday. Zidane’s first game at the helm began with an unexpected rush rather than a perfectly timed entrance, but France’s new coaching team were in position before the anthem concluded.
