View source for France national football B team

{{Short description|National association football B team}}
{{Infobox National football team
| Name               = France B
| Badge              =
| FIFA Trigramme     = FRA
| Nickname           =
| Association        = [[French Football Federation]]<br />(''Fédération Française<br />de Football'')
| Confederation      = [[UEFA]] (Europe)
| Coach              =
| Most caps          =
| Top scorer         =
| Home Stadium       = [[Stade de France]]
| pattern_la1        = _fra08h
| pattern_b1         = _fra08h
| pattern_ra1        = _fra08h
| pattern_sh1        = _adidasonwhite
| pattern_so1        = _3_stripes_white|
| leftarm1           = FFFFFF
| body1              = FFFFFF
| rightarm1          = FFFFFF
| shorts1            = 000080
| socks1             = FF0000
| pattern_la2        = _fra08a
| pattern_b2         = _fra08a
| pattern_ra2        = _fra08a
| pattern_sh2        = _adidaswhite
| pattern_so2        = _3_stripes_white
| leftarm2           = EF0000
| body2              = EF0000
| rightarm2          = EF0000
| shorts2            = 0000BF
| socks2             = 0000BF
| First game         = {{fb|Denmark}} 9–0 {{fbb-rt|France|1794}}<br />([[White City, London|White City]], [[United Kingdom]], 19 October 1908)
| Largest win        = {{fbb|France|1794}} 7–0 [[Luxembourg national football team|Luxembourg]] {{flagicon|Luxembourg}}<br />([[Strasbourg]], [[France]], 22 May 1952)
| Largest loss       = {{fb|Denmark}} 9–0 {{fbb-rt|France|1794}}<br />([[White City, London|White City]], [[United Kingdom]], 19 October 1908)
| Regional name      = [[Football at the Summer Olympics|Summer Olympics]]
| Regional cup apps  = 1
| Regional cup first = [[Football at the 1908 Summer Olympics|1908]]
| Regional cup best  = First round ([[Football at the 1908 Summer Olympics|1908]])
}}
The '''France national football B team''' is a national [[association football|football]] team representing [[France]] that plays matches at a lower level than the [[France national football team]]. In France, the team is usually called '''"France A–"'''. They commonly played matches against 'B' teams from other football associations, from 1922 to 2001.<ref name=RS>{{Cite web |url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesf/fran-b-intres.html |title=France - B/A'-Team - International Results 1922-2001 |website=RSSSF.com |date=18 February 2021 |accessdate=18 March 2019 }}</ref>
The team runs occasionally as a feeder team for [[France national football team]], to give a chance to [[France national under-21 football team|under-21]] or less experienced players to play for the national team without being awarded a full [[Cap (sport)|cap]]. The team may play matches held before World Cups or other tournaments to give second-choice players, injured players or possible choices an opportunity to play a full game to either keep their fitness levels up or to earn their way into the first team.
==History==
===Pre-history===
{{Main|Football at the 1908 Summer Olympics}}
The France B team was officially created in 1922, however, at the [[Football at the 1908 Summer Olympics|1908 Summer Olympics]], two teams from [[French Third Republic|France]] participated in the tournament, the main team and a "B" side,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://en.espn.co.uk/olympic-sports/sport/story/162086.html |title=Great Britain's first home Olympic football adventure |author=Jon Carter |website=ESPN |accessdate=7 June 2022}}</ref> but the matches that this team played in [[London]] are not recognised by [[French Football Federation]] (FFF) as official B team games. France B was eliminated in the first round by [[Denmark national football team|Denmark]] with a score of 9–0, but the main team did no better as Denmark then defeated France A in the semi-finals by a score of 17–1, conceding 10 goals from [[Sophus Nielsen|one player]] alone, which was a world record at the time.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://home6.inet.tele.dk/pin/landsholdet/1908.htm |title=Boxscore of Denmark-France match |website= |accessdate=7 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050306121551/http://home6.inet.tele.dk/pin/landsholdet/1908.htm |archive-date=6 March 2005 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Remarkably, both French teams conceded pokers from [[Vilhelm Wolfhagen]].
===Early history===
France B was officially created in 1922 and the team made its debut on 15 January 1922 at the [[SC Luxembourg|ground of SC Luxembourg]] in [[Luxembourg City]], where they lost to the [[Luxembourg national football team|Luxembourg A team]] 3–2, courtesy of a hat-trick from [[Robert Elter]],<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://eu-football.info/_match.php?id=42|title=International football match: 15.01.1922 Luxembourg vs France*|website=EU-football.info|access-date=7 June 2022 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesl/lux-unoff-intres.html|title=Luxembourg - List of Unofficial International Matches|website=RSSSF|date=8 March 2005|access-date=7 June 2022 }}</ref> but France B fought back and achieved some vengeance in their next game when they faced the Luxembourg A team again on 25 February 1923 at [[Stade Bergeyre]] in [[Paris]], this time being them the ones to win 3–2.<ref name=RS/>
===Mediterranean Cup===
Until 1968 (except for war years), the French B side played at least one match per year, with their most-scheduled year being in 1952 with eight matches against foreign nations A or B, of which France lost only once, a 3–1 defeat at the hands of [[Saarland national football team|Saarland]].<ref name=RS/> In the following year, France B participated in the [[1953–58 Mediterranean Cup]], where they faced the A teams of [[Turkey national football team|Turkey]], [[Egypt national football team|Egypt]] and [[Greece national football team|Greece]] home and away, as well as the B teams of [[Italy national football B team|Italy]] and [[Spain national football B team|Spain]], and France started the tournament with three consecutive 0–0 draws before losing 0–2 to Spain B, and their inability to score goals stayed on as they then beat Greece 1–0 only thanks to an own goal, but despite their failure to score a single goal in 5 games, France regained his feet and still managed to finish the tournament in second-place with 12 points, finishing with 4 wins, 4 draws and 2 defeats, with their best victory coming against Egypt (7-1) in [[Nice]] on 15 April 1955.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://eu-football.info/_tournament.php?id=MC-3 |title=Mediterranean Cup 1953-1957 results |website=football.eu |accessdate=31 May 2022}}</ref>
===Decline===
After 1968, the use by [[List of French national football team managers|French coaches]] of this selection became rarer: between 1971 and 1982, only eight matches took place and then the B side became inactive. It was [[Michel Platini]], the then French coach, who revived this team under the name of France A– on 16 November 1988, which remained unchanged (sept for between 1990 and 1992, when the team was again called the "France B team") until 2001.
===Recent history===
The most recent match of France B was on 5 February 2008 against [[Congo DR national football team|Congo DR]] in [[Marbella]], the day before the regular A-team friendly in [[Málaga]]. The team line-up was [[Steve Mandanda]] ([[Hugo Lloris]] 46'); [[Gaël Clichy]], [[Jean-Alain Boumsong]], [[Philippe Mexès]], [[Bacary Sagna]]; [[Jérôme Rothen]], [[Alou Diarra]], [[Samir Nasri]] ([[Gaël Givet]] 76'), [[Mathieu Flamini]] ([[Jérémy Menez]] 17'),  [[Jimmy Briand]]; [[Djibril Cissé]]; team members [[Sébastien Squillaci]] and [[Abou Diaby]] were not used.
==Results==
{{Expand section|date=June 2022}}
{{Football box collapsible
|date = 16 November 1988
|time =
|team1 = France B {{flagicon|FRA|1974}}
|score = 1–0
|report = [https://www.rsssf.org/tablesf/fran-b-intres.html Report]
|round = [[Exhibition game|Friendly]]
|team2 = {{flagicon|YUG}} [[Yugoslavia national football B team|Yugoslavia B]]
|goals1 = [[Carmelo Micciche|Micciche]] {{goal|90}}
|goals2 =
|stadium = [[Stade de l'Abbé-Deschamps]]
|location = [[Auxerre]], [[France]]
|attendance =
|referee =
|result = W
}}
{{Football box collapsible
|date = 15 February 1989
|time =
|team1 = France B {{flagicon|FRA|1974}}
|score = 1–0
|report = [https://www.rsssf.org/tablesf/fran-b-intres.html Report]
|round = [[Exhibition game|Friendly]]
|team2 = {{flagicon|NED}} [[Netherlands national football B team|Netherlands B]]
|goals1 = [[Daniel Xuereb|Xuereb]] {{goal|17}}
|goals2 =
|stadium = [[Stade des Costières]]
|location = [[Nimes]], [[France]]
|attendance =
|referee =
|result = W
}}
{{Football box collapsible
|date = 12 January 1993
|time =
|team1 = [[Senegal national football team|Senegal]] {{flagicon|Senegal}}
|score = 1–3
|report = [https://www.rsssf.org/tablesf/fran-b-intres.html Report]
|round = [[Exhibition game|Friendly]]
|team2 = {{flagicon|FRA|1974}} France B
|goals1 = [[Souleyman Sané|Sané]] {{goal|88}}
|goals2 = [[Patrice Loko|Loko]] {{goal|8||52}}<br />[[William Prunier|Prunier]] {{goal|38}}
|stadium = [[Stade Léopold Sédar Senghor]]
|location = [[Dakar]], [[Senegal]]
|attendance =
|referee =
|result = W
}}
{{Football box collapsible
|date = 7 June 1993
|time =
|team1 = France B {{flagicon|FRA|1974}}
|score = 2–0
|report = [https://www.rsssf.org/tablesf/fran-b-intres.html Report]
|round = [[Exhibition game|Friendly]]
|team2 = {{flagicon|VEN|1954}} [[Venezuela national football team|Venezuela]]
|goals1 =
|goals2 = [[Stéphane Dedebant|Dedebant]] {{goal|59
}}<br />[[Youri Djorkaeff|Djorkaeff]] {{goal|67}}
|stadium =
|location = [[Pointe-à-Pitre]], [[Guadeloupe]]
|attendance =
|referee =
|result = W
}}
{{Football box collapsible
|date = 10 June 1993
|time =
|team1 = France B {{flagicon|FRA|1974}}
|score = 1–3
|report = [https://www.rsssf.org/tablesf/fran-b-intres.html Report]
|round = [[Exhibition game|Friendly]]
|team2 = {{flagicon|COL}} [[Colombia national football team|Colombia]]
|goals1 = [[Youri Djorkaeff|Djorkaeff]] {{goal|46}}
|goals2 = [[Adolfo Valencia|Valencia]] {{goal|75||84||90}}
|stadium = [[Stade Pierre-Aliker]]
|location = [[Fort-de-France]], [[France]]
|attendance =
|referee =
|result = L
}}
{{Football box collapsible
|date = 27 July 1993
|time =
|team1 = France B {{flagicon|FRA|1974}}
|score = 5–1
|report = [https://www.rsssf.org/tablesf/fran-b-intres.html Report]
|round = [[Exhibition game|Friendly]]
|team2 = {{flagicon|RUS|1991}} [[Russia national under-21 football team|Russia U-21]]
|goals1 = [[Youri Djorkaeff|Djorkaeff]] {{goal|15||29}}<br />[[Stéphane Dedebant|Dedebant]] {{goal|49}}<br />[[Vincent Guérin|Guérin]] {{goal|56|pen.}}<br />[[Anthony Bancarel|Bancarel]] {{goal|73}}
|goals2 = [[Vladimir Kulik|Kulik]] {{goal|67}}
|stadium = [[Stade de Roudourou]]
|location = [[Guingamp]], [[France]]
|attendance =
|referee =
|result = W
}}
{{footballbox_collapsible
|date = 19 September 1993
|time =
|team1 = [[AS Monaco FC|Monaco FC]] {{flagicon|Monaco}}
|score = 1–2
|report = [https://www.rsssf.org/tablesf/fran-b-intres.html Report]
|round = [[Exhibition game|Friendly]]
|team2 = {{flagicon|FRA|1974}} France B
|goals1 = [[Amara Simba|Simba]] {{goal|31}}
|goals2 = [[Laurent Fournier|Fournier]] {{goal|57}}<br />[[Frank Leboeuf|Leboeuf]] {{goal|64|pen.}}
|stadium = [[Stade Louis II]]
|location = [[Monaco]], [[France]]
|attendance =
|referee =
|result = W
}}
{{footballbox_collapsible
|date = 2 February 1994
|time =
|team1 = {{fb-rt|Tunisia|1959}}
|score = 1–1
|report = [https://www.rsssf.org/tablesf/fran-b-intres.html Report]
|round = [[Exhibition game|Friendly]]
|team2 = {{flagicon|FRA|1974}} France B
|goals1 = [[Mohamed Ali Mahjoubi|Mahjoubi]] {{goal|71}}
|goals2 = [[Jérôme Gnako|Gnako]] {{goal|4|pen.}}
|stadium = [[Stade El Menzah]]
|location = [[Tunis]], [[Tunisia]]
|attendance =
|referee =
|result = D
}}
{{footballbox_collapsible
|date = 25 May 1994
|time =
|team1 = France B {{flagicon|FRA|1974}}
|score = 4–1
|report = [https://www.rsssf.org/tablesf/fran-b-intres.html Report]
|round = [[Exhibition game|Friendly]]
|team2 = [[Organisation internationale de la francophonie|Francophonie XI]]
|goals1 = [[David Zitelli|Zitelli]] {{goal|17}}<br />[[Gérald Baticle|Baticle]] {{goal|33||89}}<br />[[Mickaël Madar|Madar]] {{goal|53}}
|goals2 = [[Henri Camara|Camara]] {{goal|42}}
|stadium = [[Ludwigspark Stadion|Ludwigsparkstadion]]
|location = [[Évry, Essonne|Évry]], [[France]]
|attendance =
|referee =
|result = W
}}
{{footballbox_collapsible
|date = 17 January 1995
|time =
|team1 = France B {{flagicon|FRA|1974}}
|score = 1–0
|report = [https://www.rsssf.org/tablesf/fran-b-intres.html Report]
|round = [[Exhibition game|Friendly]]
|team2 = {{fb|BEL}}
|goals1 = [[Xavier Gravelaine|Gravelaine]] {{goal|7}}
|goals2 =
|stadium = [[Stade Jules Deschaseaux]]
|location = [[Le Havre]], [[France]]
|attendance =
|referee =
|result = W
}}
{{Football box collapsible
|date = 25 May 1995
|time =
|team1 = France B {{flagicon|FRA|1974}}
|score = 1–0
|report = [https://www.rsssf.org/tablesf/fran-b-intres.html Report]
|round = [[Exhibition game|Friendly]]
|team2 = {{flagicon|SVK}} [[Slovakia national football team|Slovakia]]
|goals1 = [[Cyrille Pouget|Pouget]] {{goal|37}}
|goals2 =
|stadium = [[Stade Maurice-Postaire]]
|location = [[Cherbourg-Octeville|Cherbourg]], [[France]]
|attendance =
|referee =
|result = W
}}
{{Football box collapsible
|date = 24 January 1996
|time =
|team1 = [[Italy national under-23 football team|Italy U-23]] {{flagicon|ITA}}
|score = 0–0
|report = [https://www.rsssf.org/tablesf/fran-b-intres.html Report]
|round = [[Exhibition game|Friendly]]
|team2 = {{flagicon|FRA|1974}} France B
|goals1 =
|goals2 =
|stadium = [[Stadio Oreste Granillo|Comunale]]
|location = [[Reggio Calabria]], [[Italy]]
|attendance =
|referee =
|result = D
|note = France is a U-23 Selection of 2nd Division
}}
{{Football box collapsible
|date = 26 March 1996
|time =
|team1 = [[Belgium national under-21 football team|Belgium U-21]] {{flagicon|BEL}}
|score = 1–1
|report = [https://www.rsssf.org/tablesf/fran-b-intres.html Report]
|round = [[Exhibition game|Friendly]]
|team2 = {{flagicon|FRA|1974}} France B
|goals1 = [[Johan Walem|Walem]] {{goal|10}}
|goals2 = [[Bruno Rodriguez (footballer)|Rodriguez]] {{goal|90}}
|stadium = [[Stade du Pays de Charleroi]]
|location = [[Charleroi]], [[Belgium]]
|attendance =
|referee =
|result = D
}}
{{Football box collapsible
|date = 19 January 1999
|time =
|team1 = France B {{flagicon|FRA|1974}}
|score = 2–0
|report = [https://www.rsssf.org/tablesf/fran-b-intres.html Report]
|round = [[Exhibition game|Friendly]]
|team2 = {{flagicon|CRO}} [[Croatia national football B team|Croatia B]]
|goals1 = [[Pierre Laigle|Laigle]] {{goal|65}}<br />[[Frédéric Née|Née]] {{goal|70}}
|goals2 =
|stadium = [[Stade des Costières]]
|location = [[Nîmes]], [[France]]
|attendance =
|referee =
|result = W
}}
{{Football box collapsible
|date = 10 February 1999
|time =
|team1 = France B {{flagicon|FRA|1974}}
|score = 2–1
|report = [https://www.rsssf.org/tablesf/fran-b-intres.html Report]
|round = [[Exhibition game|Friendly]]
|team2 = {{flagicon|BEL}} [[Belgium national under-21 football team|Belgium U-21]]
|goals1 = [[Frédéric Déhu|Déhu]] {{sent off|8}}<br />[[Tony Vairelles|Vairelles]] {{goal|31|pen.}}<br />[[Laurent Robert|Robert]] {{goal|35}}
|goals2 = [[Birger Maertens|Maertens]] {{goal|52}}
|stadium = [[Stade Raymond Kopa]]
|location = [[Angers]], [[France]]
|attendance =
|referee =
|result = W
}}
{{Football box collapsible
|date = 2 June 1999
|time =
|team1 = France B {{flagicon|FRA|1974}}
|score = 2–1
|report = [https://www.rsssf.org/tablesf/fran-b-intres.html Report]
|round = [[Exhibition game|Friendly]]
|team2 = {{flagicon|GER}} [[Germany national football B team|Germany B]]
|goals1 = [[Stéphane Ziani|Ziani]] {{goal|45}}<br />[[Olivier Monterrubio|Monterrubio]] {{goal|86}}
|goals2 = [[Bernd Schneider (footballer)|Schneider]] {{goal|7}}
|stadium = [[Stade Bollaert-Delelis]]
|location = [[Lens]], [[France]]
|attendance =
|referee =
|result = W
}}
{{Football box collapsible
|date = 1 September 1999
|time =
|team1 = [[Germany national football B team|Germany B]] {{flagicon|GER}}
|score = 1–3
|report = [https://www.rsssf.org/tablesf/fran-b-intres.html Report]
|round = [[Exhibition game|Friendly]]
|team2 = {{flagicon|FRA|1974}} France B
|goals1 = [[Andreas Neuendorf|Neuendorf]] {{goal|25|pen.}}
|goals2 = [[Florian Maurice|Maurice]] {{goal|41|pen.|72}}<br />[[Olivier Monterrubio|Monterrubio]] {{goal|59}}
|stadium = [[Wildparkstadion]]
|location = [[Karlsruhe]], [[Germany]]
|attendance =
|referee =
|result = W
}}
{{Football box collapsible
|date = 22 February 2000
|time =
|team1 = [[Belgium national under-21 football team|Belgium U-21]] {{flagicon|BEL}}
|score = 1–1
|report = [https://www.rsssf.org/tablesf/fran-b-intres.html Report]
|round = [[Exhibition game|Friendly]]
|team2 = {{flagicon|FRA|1974}} France B
|goals1 = [[Wesley Sonck|Sonck]] {{goal|8}}
|goals2 = [[Bernard Diomède|Diomède]] {{goal|58}}
|stadium = [[Regenboogstadion]]
|location = [[Waregem]], [[Belgium]]
|attendance =
|referee =
|result = D
}}
{{Football box collapsible
|date = 25 April 2000
|time =
|team1 = [[Morocco national under-23 football team|Morocco Olympics]] {{flagicon|MAR}}
|score = 0–1
|report = [https://www.rsssf.org/tablesf/fran-b-intres.html Report]
|round = [[Exhibition game|Friendly]]
|team2 = {{flagicon|FRA|1974}} France B
|goals1 =
|goals2 = [[Antoine Sibierski|Sibierski]] {{goal|77}}
|stadium = [[Stade Mohammed V]]
|location = [[Casablanca]], [[Morocco]]
|attendance =
|referee =
|result = W
}}
{{Football box collapsible
|date = 22 March 2001
|time =
|team1 = France B {{flagicon|FRA|1974}}
|score = 1–2
|report = [https://www.rsssf.org/tablesf/fran-b-intres.html Report]
|round = [[Exhibition game|Friendly]]
|team2 = {{flagicon|GER}} [[Germany national football B team|Germany B]]
|goals1 = [[Steve Marlet|Marlet]] {{goal|70|pen.}}
|goals2 = [[Jörg Böhme|Böhme]] {{goal|33|pen.}}<br />[[Lars Ricken|Ricken]] {{goal|45}}
|stadium = [[Stade de l'Ill]]
|location = [[Mulhouse]], [[France]]
|attendance =
|referee =
|result = L
}}
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
*[https://www.rsssf.org/tablesf/fran-b-intres.html RSSSF]
{{France B football squad 1908 Summer Olympics}}
{{France national football team}}
{{Football in France}}
{{National sports teams of France}}
[[Category:France national football team]]
[[Category:European national B association football teams]]