Thursday 30 August 2018 15:53, UK
France coach Didier Deschamps has backed Hugo Lloris and recalled "retired" defender Adil Rami in his first squad since winning the World Cup
Goalkeeper Lloris was charged with drink-driving following a routine patrol stop in London in the early hours of last Friday.
He was released on bail and will face a magistrates' court hearing on September 11.
Deschamps gave the 31-year-old World Cup-winning captain his full backing after naming a largely unchanged squad for games against Germany on September 6 and the Netherlands three days later in the Nations League.
"I've spoken with him, he realises his mistake and he's sorry for it," Deschamps said.
"He knows only too well that it shouldn't happen, but it happened and it's not going to change what I think about him and the Hugo Lloris that I've always known."
Lloris, who was also given the backing of Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino before their 3-0 win at Manchester United on Monday, was never likely to be ousted by Deschamps, who has replaced injured Marseille goalkeeper Steve Mandanda with Benoit Costil of Bordeaux.
A bigger surprise was Marseille defender Rami, who announced - "with a certain degree of euphoria", Deschamps said - his international retirement on the night of France's World Cup victory.
Despite being a substitute for most of the tournament, Deschamps said he was still counting on the 32-year-old defender.
"I've talked to him about it and this first get-together will give us the chance to discuss things in more detail," said Deschamps.
"He'll have the final decision, obviously, but from the moment he's playing well at a top French club, then for me he's still competitive.
"Anyway, he was very happy about the call-up and didn't hesitate one second."
Deschamps' squad will feature all of the players who starred in the final, where Les Bleus defeated Croatia 4-2.
Goalkeepers: Hugo Lloris (Tottenham/ENG), Benoit Costil (Bordeaux), Alphonse Areola (Paris Saint-Germanin)
Defenders: Lucas Hernandez (Atletico Madrid/ESP), Presnel Kimpembe (Paris Saint Germain), Benjamin Mendy (Manchester City/ENG), Benjamin Pavard (Stuttgart/GER), Adil Rami (Marseille), Djibril Sidibe (Monaco), Samuel Umtiti (Barcelona/ESP), Raphael Varane (Real Madrid/ESP)
Midfielders: N'Golo Kante (Chelsea/ENG), Blaise Matuidi (Juventus/ITA), Steven N'Zonzi (Roma/ITA), Paul Pogba (Manchester United/ENG), Corentin Tolisso (Bayern Munich/GER)
Forwards: Ousmane Dembele (Barcelona/ESP), Nabil Fekir (Lyon), Olivier Giroud (Chelsea/ENG), Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid/ESP), Thomas Lemar (Atletico Madrid/ESP), Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain), Florian Thauvin (Marseille)
