France, who won the World Cup in 1998, are preparing for future glory by focusing on the sport’s development at the youth-level. PAUL GABRIEL, who visited the Clairefontaine National Institute of Football recently, writes that playing ball is serious business for the children at France’s famed football academy.
THE air of serenity and the woody surroundings at the Clairefontaine National Institute of Football (INF) is captivating. A chateau provides the backdrop for acres of green lawn, with some modern structures adding to the beauty.