The Union of European Football Associations is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs football, futsal and beach football in Europe and the transcontinental countries of Turkey, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Kazakhstan, as well as the West Asian countries of Cyprus, Armenia and Israel. UEFA consists of 55 national association members. Since 2022, due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, FIFA and UEFA suspended all Russian national teams and clubs from any FIFA and UEFA competitions.
Michel François Platini is a French football administrator and former player and manager. Regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time, Platini won the Ballon d'Or three times in a row, in 1983, 1984 and 1985, and came seventh in the FIFA Player of the Century vote. In recognition of his achievements, he was named a Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur in 1985 and became an Officier in 1998. As the president of UEFA in 2015 he was banned from involvement in football under FIFA's organisation, over ethics violations. The ban lasted until 2023.
The France national football team represents France in men's international football. It is controlled by the French Football Federation, the governing body for football in France. It is a member of UEFA in Europe and FIFA in global competitions. The team's colours and imagery reference two national symbols: the French blue-white-red tricolour and Gallic rooster. The team is colloquially known as Les Bleus. They play home matches at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis and train at Centre National du Football in Clairefontaine-en-Yvelines.
Jean-Marie Pfaff is a Belgian former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper who spent most of his professional career with Beveren and Bayern Munich. Pfaff was capped 64 times playing for Belgium, and participated at the 1982 FIFA World Cup and 1986 FIFA World Cup tournaments. Pfaff was named goalkeeper of the 1986 FIFA World Cup, and he was the first player to receive the IFFHS World's Best Goalkeeper award in 1987.
Jean-Pierre Roger Guillaume Papin is a French football manager and former professional player who played as a forward and is the current technical advisor of Ligue 1 club Marseille. Considered to be one of the best centre-forwards of his generation, he won the Ballon d'Or in 1991.
Jeunesse Esch is a professional football club based in Esch-sur-Alzette, in south-western Luxembourg. The side play in the National Division, the highest league in the country, and have won the league title on 28 occasions between 1921 and 2010, the most of any team in Luxembourg.
Association de la Jeunesse Auxerroise, commonly known as AJ Auxerre or simply Auxerre, is a French professional football club based in the commune of Auxerre in Burgundy. The club was founded in 1905 and currently plays in Ligue 2, the second division of French football. Auxerre plays its home matches at the Stade de l'Abbé-Deschamps, on the banks of the Yonne River. The team is managed by Christophe Pélissier.
Football Club des Girondins de Bordeaux, commonly referred to as Girondins de Bordeaux or simply Bordeaux, is a French professional football club based in the city of Bordeaux in Gironde, Nouvelle-Aquitaine. The team currently plays in Ligue 2, the second tier of French football, and is coached by Albert Riera.
Amadou Jean Tigana is a French former football player and manager. A central midfielder, he was renowned as one of the best midfielders in the world during the 1980s. He spent his entire playing career in France, and made 52 appearances and scored one goal for the France national team. Following his playing career, he became a manager, coaching clubs in France, England, Turkey and China.
Michel François Hidalgo was a French professional footballer and manager. He was the head coach of the France national team from 1976 to 1984, with whom he won the UEFA Euro 1984 on home soil, also reaching the semi-finals of the 1982 FIFA World Cup.
Luis Miguel Fernández Toledo, known as Luis Fernandez, is a French football manager and former player who played as a defensive midfielder.
Bernard Lacombe is a French former professional footballer. He played as a striker, mainly with Lyon, Bordeaux and Saint-Étienne and the France national team.
António Augusto Gomes de Sousa is a Portuguese former football central midfielder and manager.
Manuel Amoros is a French former professional footballer who played as a right-back. He was capped 82 times for France, and played in the UEFA European Championships finals of 1984 and 1992, and the FIFA World Cup finals in 1982 and 1986.
Karlheinz Helmut Förster is a German former professional footballer who played as a central defender.
Patrick Raymond Jean Battiston is a French former footballer who played as a defender for the France national team in three World Cups and won the 1984 European Football Championship. At club level, he played for Metz, Saint-Étienne, Bordeaux, and Monaco, winning five Ligue 1 titles and one Coupe de France.
Football Club Avenir Beggen is a football club, based in Beggen, a quarter of Luxembourg City, in southern Luxembourg.
Alain Jean Giresse is a French football coach and former player who last managed Kosovo.
Walter Meeuws is a Belgian former footballer and manager.
Royal Sporting Club Anderlecht, usually known as Anderlecht or RSCA, is a Belgian professional football club based in Anderlecht, Brussels Capital-Region. Anderlecht plays in the Belgian First Division A and is the most successful Belgian football team in European competitions, with five trophies, as well as in the Belgian domestic league, with 34 championship wins. They have also won nine Belgian Cups and hold the record for most consecutive Belgian championship titles, winning five between the 1963–64 and 1967–68 seasons.
