50 names on Zidane's first list: and some clubs stay tight-lipped! | Goal.com
France's provisional squad list is turning heads this week. Several players tipped for a spot in Zinedine Zidane's first squad, due to be announced officially next Friday, have already had their names leaked.
According to French newspaper "L'Equipe", the provisional list features some relatively unusual names, among them Rennes forward Esteban Lepaul, Paris FC's Pablo Pagis and Lens defender Ismaïlo Ganiou.
A place on the provisional list guarantees nothing, though. The final squad will contest the upcoming Nations League fixtures against Turkey on 25 September, Belgium on 28 September, Italy on 2 October and then Belgium again on 5 October.
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Around 50 players make the provisional list, and there's nothing new about the practice. Federations must notify the clubs of every named player roughly 15 days before the official squad drops.
Every name is eligible for a call-up, but a chasm separates the provisional list from the real thing at Clairefontaine, according to "L'Equipe".
These lists still matter to the players. They show that the coaching staff are watching, weighing up their form, and they can hint that a first senior cap is edging closer.
One of the players' agents said: "The clubs sometimes stop informing the player after several provisional call-ups, then a day comes when the invitation turns into an actual call-up, without anyone expecting it."
Clubs receive the information purely to plan the international break. Whether they pass it on to the player is up to them.
An official in the French league explained: "The federations' letters are handled by the team manager or the secretariat. If the player is used to provisional call-ups, we do not tell him. Generally we pass on the news only if it is the first time, especially if the player himself asks before every break."
Surprises can strike right up until the final squad lands, as another agent explained: "Yes, that has happened with several players I represent. There are also those who are always included on the provisional list and are never called up, and this is common because the provisional lists do not change much. The clubs sometimes stop giving notice after the provisional call-up is repeated, so the day comes when the invitation suddenly turns into a real call-up."
The French newspaper concluded: "In any case, being on a France provisional list for the first time remains an important indicator that the player has entered the coaching staff's sphere of interest, even if that does not translate directly into an official call-up."
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