Brighton cancels French camp after G7 helicopter damage

Brighton and Hove Albion have canceled their preseason training camp in France after helicopter landings during last month's G7 summit damaged the pitches they intended to use. The Premier League club was scheduled to train in Evian-les-Bains from July 23 until August 1 but was forced to relocate to an alternative base in Austria.

Club staff discovered the issue when an advance group arrived on Wednesday, July 22, to prepare the camp. They found the surfaces, which had been used as landing zones for helicopters carrying world leaders including U.S. President Donald Trump, former UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and French President Emmanuel Macron, were no longer fit for purpose and posed a potential injury risk. The G7 summit, held in June, focused on issues including artificial intelligence, climate change, and economic security.

With the French camp abandoned, head coach Fabian Hurzeler and his squad trained at the club's Lancing headquarters on Thursday and Friday. The club has canceled a scheduled friendly against French Ligue 2 side Annecy on Saturday, July 25, replacing it with an in-house training match behind closed doors. The team is now set to travel to Austria on...