PARIS (AP) France coach Didier Deschamps wants the European Championship, which starts Friday, to give the French people an ''escape'' from security fears, violent labor protests, train strikes and floods.
''A big competition, especially when a country has social problems, allows the French people a moment of escape,'' Deschamps said Wednesday.
In what should normally be a time for excitement and anticipation, host France's Euro 2016 preparations have been overshadowed above all by security concerns, and there will be unease among fans flocking to the national stadium on Friday evening for the opener against Romania.
On Nov.