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June 15th, 2014

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Enchanté, mon chéri! If there was a world cup for charm, those Frenchies would win it every time! And with (left-right) sales consultant Aurelie Cravero, trainee journalist Fanny Marlier and columnist Maïa Mazaurette rallying to their cause, who would doubt them?

Well, there have been signs that the major power in football are not as susceptible to Gallic gumption as they once were.

Sure, Portugal (Euro 1984 & 2000, 2006 WC) and the mighty Brazil (1986,1998 & 2006 WC) still struggle against them, but in recent tournaments, both Spain (Euro 1984 & 2000, 2006 WC) and Italy (1986 & 1998 WC, Euro 2000) have ended jinxes so ancient they were practically Napoleonic.

The question is: have the French got complacent?

When they honoured their tradition for German hospitality by losing back-to-back WC semis against their neighbours in the 1980s, it looked like they were going to be the eternal bridesmaids of world football.

It was hard to see how they could recover from the nature of the losses (Schumacher doing his best to kill Battiston in 1982; failing to avenge that travesty after the heroics against Brazil in 1986). Surely they would never have another Platini?

Great players followed – Cantona, Papin, even Ginola – but they couldn’t qualify. And then along came Zidane. And a backline of Thuram, Blanc, Desailly and Lizarazu.
And soon the Champs-Élysées had another home win to celebrate. 

“I was only seven years old, but I still remember my grandmother screaming for joy at her television,” reveals Fanny.

It doesn’t get better than that, which might explain why Maïa doesn’t seem to care who wins.

“The only problem is that I never know which team to support, since I have family, friends and good memories everywhere,” she says.

“You'll see me laughing and yelling, insulting the referee and praising him, at the same time! I'm happy it lasts only one month, because I usually end up completely exhausted!"
And Aurelie is pretty magnanimous as well.

“I look forward to having the pleasure of going to the various bars in Copenhagen where the different supporters will be watching the World Cup,” she says.

“Sharing the World Cup with the other supporting teams is also really fun and friendly. Good luck to all the participating countries.”

But just in case you thought the French had gone soft, all three professed one sentiment above all others:  “ALLEZ LES BLEUS!!!”

As part of our World Cup coverage this year, our international staff decided it would be fun to dress up in our national shirts for the Copenhagen Post Wallchart, which hit the streets on June 12. 

Partly that, and to rub it in the faces of our Danish colleagues that they haven't qualified this time around. 

Taking a leaf out of the Jack Charlton guide to national coaching, we sourced a few errant grandfathers and even found room for Scotland. 

And just in case you want to 'go local' to watch a game, check out our guide to the best bars in town for finding authentic nationalistic fervour.