The uproar over the imposition of the reform -- which the government chose to push through without a parliamentary vote -- has turned into the biggest domestic crisis of Macron's second term in office.
Off the field, a series of scandals brought down veteran French Football Federation president Noel Le Graet but not before he had agreed a deal for coach Didier Deschamps to remain in his job until 2026.
Anti-French sentiment runs high in some former African colonies as the continent becomes a renewed diplomatic battleground, with Russian and Chinese influence growing in the region.
Russia has said French President Emmanuel Macron "openly admitted" that the West not only tried to interfere in Moscow's internal affairs but was also trying to change the government.
Sending aid to Ukraine does not mean that France or the Western allies are at war with Russia, said French Foreign ministry spokeswoman Anne-Claire Legendre.
For Macron, what is at stake is his reformist credentials, both at home and with his European Union peers, as well as keeping public spending in check.
