Nicole Abar joins L’Équipe du Soir as new columnist

Nicole Abar will make her first television appearance as a columnist when L’Équipe du Soir returns on Tuesday, placing the former professional footballer among the programme’s most closely watched new arrivals. Her debut is part of a wider overhaul at La Chaîne L’Équipe after several established contributors departed.

The show has lost Johan Micoud, Éric Blanc, Régis Testelin, Raymond Domenech, Régis Brouard and Jérôme Alonzo, along with journalists including Guillaume Dufy, Hervé Penot, Bernard Lions, Grégory Schneider, Philippe Sanfourche, Dominique Séverac and Sébastien Tarrago. Olivier Ménard remains associated with the programme, while Virginie Sainsily and Pia Clémens have been retained for the new season.

Abar will join former athlete Héloïse Kane as one of two new female voices around the table. The broadcaster is also changing the format: the president’s role has been removed and a new studio set will be introduced, with greater female representation identified as a central objective. Abar still plays in veterans’ football tournaments and is known for her strong personality, enthusiasm for football and south-western accent. Her lack of television experience has not prevented her arrival, but it makes Tuesday’s first appearance a notable test as the redesigned programme begins.