Didier Deschamps, coach of the France team, picked Olivier Giroud, who is recovering from a lean spell, to be one of the key strikers. France coach Didier Deschamps picked seasoned striker Olivier Giroud on Thursday for his 23-man squad for the European soccer championship, which France will host, naming in-form forward Hatem Ben Arfa only as a reserve. France will play Romania, Albania and Switzerland in the group stage. Giroud, recovering from a lean spell at Arsenal with a strong finish to the Premier League season, is one of six strikers in the squad alongside Antoine Griezmann, Dimitri Payet, Antony Martial, Kingsley Coman and Andre-Pierre Gignac. Karim Benzema will miss the June 10-July 10 tournament after a ban for his involvement in an alleged blackmail scandal was upheld by the French federation last month.

Source: dna May 12, 2016 23:00 UTC