Laurent Koscielny will retire from the France team after the 2018 World Cup, making way for a new generation of players, the Arsenal centre-back said yesterday. “I’m starting to get a bit old at 32.
With Sam (Umtiti of Barcelona) and the others in their twenties and on the lookout, the time has come,” Koscielny told a press conference at the French team headquarters.
“It’s an important decision. I have done my bit for France, but I have six months left to make the most of it and to make sure I leave with good memories,” he said. In defence, France coach Didier Deschamps can usually count on Real Madrid’s Raphael Varane, 24, and the 23-year-old Umtiti, who made his debut at Euro 2016, while Paris Saint-Germain’s Presnel Kimpembe, 22, leads a host of other youthful contenders for places in the back line. “There are five or six of us oldies hanging on, who have different tastes in music to the young ones, we’re not exactly old ourselves,” added the 49-times capped Koscielny.
France face Wales in Paris on Friday and travel to Cologne to play world champions Germany on November 14 as part of their build up to next year’s finals in Russia.

Loew mourns loss of 1954 World Cup winner
Hans Schaefer, the last-but one surviving member of the West German team which won the 1954 World Cup, died yesterday,  his ex-club Cologne said. The 90-year-old played on the left wing in the final as the Germans fell two goals behind after just eight minutes but fought back to beat Hungary, 3-2, in “the Miracle of Berne”.
Schaefer’s death means midfielder Horst Eckel, 85, is the last surviving member of that team. Germany’s current coach Joachim Loew, who is preparing for Friday’s friendly against England in Wembley, mourned the loss. “The news that Hans Schaefer has died makes us all very sad here in the national team. As one of the heroes of Berne, he will never be forgotten,” Loew said.
In the 1954 final, Zoltan Czibor and Ferenc Puskas, one of football’s greatest players, netted goals for Hungary after six and eight minutes. Midfielder Max Morlock pulled a goal back for the Germans in the tenth minute. Right winger Helmut Rahn then wrote himself into German football folklore, equalising before half time and scoring the winner six minutes from time. Schaefer played for Cologne from 1948 to 1965, winning the German title in 1962 and 1964.

Inter captain Icardi out of Argentina squad
Inter Milan captain Mauro Icardi will miss Argentina’s upcoming international friendlies because of a knee injury, his Serie A club confirmed. The 24-year-old picked up the injury against Torino at the weekend and will train separately for four or five days. But he will not travel to Russia for Saturday’s friendly against the 2018 World Cup hosts and a game on Tuesday against Nigeria. Icardi had been on form for Inter Milan scoring 11 goals in 12 games as his side are third in Serie A two points off leaders Napoli.

Keita hit with 415,000 euros fake licence fine
Liverpool-bound Naby Keita has reportedly been hit with a 415,000 euros ($480,009) fine for allegedly using a forged driving licence. The Guinea international and RB Leipzig midfielder fell offside with police after twice attempting to gain a German driving permit by using fake Guinean documents.
Germany daily Bild quoted the figure of 415,000 euros, due to calculations based on Keita’s daily salary, and Leipzig’s district court would only confirm to SID, an AFP subsidiary, that the fine is a “six-figure sum”.
The 22-year-old, who will join Liverpool for the 2018/19 season, has lodged an appeal against the penalty and should the matter now go to court, the case is likely to be heard next year. Prosecutors in Leipzig accuse Keita of forgery after he allegedly tried to use fake Guinea driving documents to obtain a German licence last December, then again in January.
He is not the first football star in Germany to be hit recently with a huge fine for a driving-related offence. Germany winger Marco Reus had to pay a penalty of 540,000 euros in 2014 when it emerged he had been driving without a valid driving licence.
Keita has also landed himself in hot water on the pitch in recent weeks after being sent off three times in seven games for both club and country.

Coutinho a doubt for Brazil friendlies
Liverpool midfielder Philippe Coutinho is injured and will probably miss Brazil’s friendly against Japan in Lille on Friday but could feature against England, the team doctor said. After the encounter with Japan, Brazil play at Wembley on Tuesday.
The Brazil squad has been preparing in Paris.