French football squad defeat would affect sponsoring: expert After a players' strike at the last world cup and a mediocre performance recently the French football squad's standing with sponsors would take another hit if Les Bleus failed to qualify for Brazil when they play a second-leg qualifier against Ukraine on Tuesday, accorind to an expert. However, the damage will be limited by the fact that France, as host, is automatically qualified for the Euro-2016 tournament, he says. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES.