Zinedine Zidane has become the most prominent candidate to succeed Didier Deschamps in leading the French national team, but his assumption of the task faces a legal obstacle that may delay the official announcement of his appointment.
The French newspaper L'Équipe reported that Zidane has not yet signed his contract with the French Football Federation, despite the agreement of both parties, due to new legislation that imposes a salary cap on heads of public institutions, which applies to the French Federation.
According to the report, the joint committee between the Senate and the National Assembly approved on July 8 of this month setting the maximum annual total salary at 450,000 euros, a figure that is significantly lower than the salary that Didier Deschamps was receiving during his leadership of the Blues.
The report indicated that the French Federation is waiting for an amendment to this legislation in order to be able to grant Zidane a salary commensurate with his stature, which requires the approval of Marina Ferrari, Minister of Sports, Youth and Community Life.
These developments came after the French national team exited the semi-finals of the 2026 World Cup against Spain, in the last tournament in which Deschamps leads the team, after he had previously announced his departure after the World Cup.
Zidane is considered the first candidate for the position, after remaining away from coaching since his departure from Real Madrid, awaiting the opportunity to lead his country's national team.
For her part, Marina Ferrari described Zidane in statements to France 2 channel as a "good option" for coaching the French national team, but she stressed that the selection of the technical director is not within the competence of the Ministry of Sports, in reference to the fact that the final decision remains in the hands of the French Football Federation.
