A French match, free (5)
I believe the answer is:
untie
'free' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'a french match' is the wordplay.
'a french' becomes 'un' ('a' in French).
'match' becomes 'tie' (tie can mean a sporting fixture).
'un'+'tie'='UNTIE'
(Other definitions for untie that I've seen before include "Unite (anag)" , "Undo, unfasten" , "Loosen ropes or knots" , "Release (knots)" , "Detach" .)