France World Cup 2014 squad: Samir Nasri and Gaël Clichy left out

Samir Nasri's omission from France's World Cup squad was explained as a necessary evil by Didier Deschamps. Photograph: Scott Heavey/Getty Images

Samir Nasri, who was instrumental in helping Manchester City to win the Premier League title, was left out of France's World Cup squad when Didier Deschamps announced a 23-man list plus seven stand-by players.

Nasri's omission prompted a furious Twitter rant against the manager and the team by his girlfriend.

Nasri, who has a reputation of being a troublemaker and was disappointing in France's play-off first leg against Ukraine last year, was a notable absentee along with the defender Eric Abidal. Abidal has been used sparingly by Claudio Ranieri at Monaco during the second part of the season. French radio RMC reported that the 34-year-old is retiring from international football.

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FIFA WORLD CUP 2014 SCHEDULE - MATCH FULL FIXTURES

The 2014 FIFA World Cup will be the 20th FIFA World Cup, an international men's football tournament that is scheduled to take place in Brazil from 12 June to 13 July 2014. It will be the second time that Brazil has hosted the competition, the previous being in 1950. Brazil was elected unchallenged as host nation in 2007 after the international football federation, FIFA, decreed that the tournament would be staged in South America for the first time since 1978 in Argentina, and the fifth time overall.

The national teams of 31 countries advanced through qualification competitions that began in June 2011 to participate with the host nation Brazil in the final tournament. A total of 64 matches are to be played in twelve cities across Brazil in either new or redeveloped stadiums, with the tournament beginning with a group stage. For the first time at a World Cup Finals, the matches will use goal-line technology.

With the host country, all world champion teams since the first World Cup in 1930 (Uruguay, Italy, Germany, England, Argentina, France and Spain) have qualified for this competition. Spain is the defending champion, having defeated the Netherlands 1–0 in the 2010 World Cup final to win its first World title. The previous four World Cups staged in South America were all won by South American teams.

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