French seeding appeal rejected

Fifa has rejected France’s appeal over the decision not to seed Les Bleus in the World Cup play-offs, according to reports.

Didier Deschamps’ side finished second in Group I, three points behind winners Spain, following a 3-0 win over Finland on Tuesday night.

That saw them book a two-legged play-off next month and means they may need to beat Portugal if they are to make next year’s World Cup finals.

The other three seeds are Greece, Croatia and Ukraine but Portugal are clearly the team to avoid.

According to L’Equipe, Fifa were contacted by the French Football Federation (FFF) regarding the seeding on the grounds that France had had to play in a group of five rather than six which would leave little margin for error.