Football: Hosts France to prepare for Euro 2016 in Biarritz

Bordeaux - Hosts France will break with tradition and prepare for their Euro 2016 campaign in the upmarket south-western French resort of Biarritz, the head of the Aquitaine Football League said on Tuesday.

'Les Bleus' have often warmed up for major tournaments in the Alpine ski resort of Tignes but France coach Didier Deschamps, who hails from nearby Bayonne, preferred the home comforts of his native Basque coast.

The training camp will take place from May 17-21, with the French team staying for five days in the Hotel Regina and training in the Aguilera Stadium, home of Biarritz rugby club.

"Aguilera is firstly a fully secured site and closed off, Didier Deschamps insisted on it," said Jean-Michel Larque, president of the Aquitaine Football League.

"This is a stadium that has a certain capacity, the technical services of the municipality of Biarritz who promised to do everything so that the Aguilera Stadium, the home of rugby, can accommodate footballers." Larque added: "All the players will have had a season in the legs and some will have gone very far in competitions. In these cases they will especially need recovery, care, maintenance and obviously a little bit of technical work.

"So the advantages of Biarritz were strong at the recovery level with all that is thalassotherapy." The tournament will be held across 10 French cities for a month from June 10 to July 10.