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ALL the talk may have been about the troubles surrounding French football but a visit to Clairefontaine is a sobering reminder that Ireland are visiting one of the great powers of world football.

Some 50 miles south of Paris - Versaille is but a stop on the way to this home of modern royalty - Clairefontaine is the leafy home of the Centre National du Football, the powerbase of the French game since 1974.

A large sculpture of the World Cup greets visitors who drive up the tree-lined avenue.