France captain Hugo Lloris is hopeful that, unlike Brazil at the 2014 World Cup, having home advantage can inspire rather than put pressure on his team during Euro 2016.
Brazil struggled to cope with the huge expectation two years ago and they were eventually hammered 7-1 in the semifinals by Germany, who went on to win the tournament.
France claimed the 1998 World Cup as the home nation and also won the European Championship when they last hosted it in 1984, and Lloris, 29, feels that playing at home can help rather than hinder his side.
“Every country has a different culture,” the Tottenham goalkeeper told L’Equipe. “It maybe didn’t help Brazil in 2014 but for us the public are going to be a great support.
“We just have to take advantage of it and to be proud.”
However, Lloris also admitted that off-field issues have weighed on his side over the past year.
Neither Karim Benzema nor Mathieu Valbuena are part of France’s Euro 2016 squad in the wake of Real Madrid striker Benzema being charged with conspiracy to blackmail last November over an alleged attempt to extort money from Valbuena using a sex tape.
Liverpool defender Mamadou Sakho also missed out after serving a provisional 30-day ban, apparently at his own request, following a positive test for an anti-doping violation.
The players were caught up in the Paris terror attacks in November, during which Lassana Diarra’s cousin was killed, and more recently ex-France international Eric Cantona and Benzema have made controversial comments about manager Didier Deschamps’ selection policy.
“You try to keep your distance but when it concerns important players — key ones — it affects you,” Lloris said. “I’m not talking about injuries but in the other cases it’s difficult to seek explanations — they’re very different.
“It brings about a bit of sadness. These players should be with us and it’s not the case because of various issues rather than a sporting choice.
“Yes, the season was taxing. We finished the season before that very badly [with defeats against Belgium and Albania] and our performances straightened out but at every gathering something happened.
“I feel a little bit like I’ve come off a rollercoaster. We managed to be strong despite all that in order to focus on the competition.”
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