Former France manager Henri Michel dies

London : Former France manager Henri Michel, who guided the national team to an Olympic gold medal and third place in the World Cup, has died at the age of 70, the French Football Federation announced yesterday.

Michel managed the team that won gold at the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984. Under him, France made the semi-finals of the World Cup in Mexico two years later where they lost 2-0 to West Germany before beating Belgium 4-2 to seal third place.

As a player, Michel made over 500 appearances for French side Nantes and won three league titles in a 16-year career with them. He was also capped 58 times by the national team.