Anelka getting sent home

[brazilianGOONER]

my goodness, what a mess

[CraigPollard]

Some french players were against the boycott
According to french newpaper Nouvel Observateur, some players were against the boycott of the training session. Yoann Gourcuff, Hugo Lloris and Bacary Sagna were the leaders of this opposition. It almost ended in a fight with the leaders of this boycott (Patrice Evra, Eric Abidal and Franck Ribéry).

If true, then well done Bacary! - It takes balls to stand up to your team mates for the greater good, so good on him for trying!

Must admit though, having never been a fan of Domenech, hearing that Anelka told him to "Go get fucked, you filthy son of a whore" made me laugh.... alot!

[I Hate Hleb]

Some french players were against the boycott
According to french newpaper Nouvel Observateur, some players were against the boycott of the training session. Yoann Gourcuff, Hugo Lloris and Bacary Sagna were the leaders of this opposition. It almost ended in a fight with the leaders of this boycott (Patrice Evra, Eric Abidal and Franck Ribéry).

If true, then well done Bacary! - It takes balls to stand up to your team mates for the greater good, so good on him for trying!

Must admit though, having never been a fan of Domenech, hearing that Anelka told him to "Go get fucked, you filthy son of a whore" made me laugh.... alot!

Perhaps Anelka has been hard done by and it was a case of mistaken identity. After all, that comment could have applied to almost anyone in the French dressing room.

[DB10GOONER]

Some french players were against the boycott
According to french newpaper Nouvel Observateur, some players were against the boycott of the training session. Yoann Gourcuff, Hugo Lloris and Bacary Sagna were the leaders of this opposition. It almost ended in a fight with the leaders of this boycott (Patrice Evra, Eric Abidal and Franck Ribéry).

If true, then well done Bacary! - It takes balls to stand up to your team mates for the greater good, so good on him for trying!

Must admit though, having never been a fan of Domenech, hearing that Anelka told him to "Go get fucked, you filthy son of a whore" made me laugh.... alot!

Perhaps Anelka has been hard done by and it was a case of mistaken identity. After all, that comment could have applied to almost anyone in the French dressing room.

Or, indeed, France!

[Vince]

Evra, Henry and Abidal talked today on french TV (on different channels). Thierry Henry said it was a mistake to refuse to go at the training ground, he also said he felt exclude in this group, since he wasn't captain and playing anymore. He had no credibility in this group, so it was hard to live for him.
He said when he was young, he had to clean the boots, the ball, even after the WC 98 that he won. He said now, it's almost like he has to clean the boots for the others. So there was a bit of frustration ..

Evra and Abidal tried to explain their choice to refuse to train. They regret more the impact of this decision than the decision itself.

[Vince]

Henry - I felt sidelined



"I felt sidelined. People didn't speak to me as they used to," Henry told Canal Plus television in his first interview since France crashed out following a miserable tournament, which ended with a humiliating defeat to host South Africa that left it bottom of its group.

Henry, the only survivor of France's 1998 World Cup triumph, said he was "no longer" the big brother figure that the squad's younger members looked up to.

"Previously, people talked to me more, I was at the forefront," said the 32-year-old.

But that changed when coach Raymond Domenech indicated before the tournament that Henry would be relegated to the substitutes' bench.

"When you no longer have credibility in a group it becomes difficult," admitted the former Arsenal and Barcelona star, who appears set to wind down his career in Major League Soccer in the United States.

"I felt snubbed and after a bit your pride takes a knock."

France, a finalist in 2006, limped out of the World Cup early after a 0-0 draw with Uruguay and defeats by Mexico and South Africa.

Its campaign exploded in controversy on Saturday when Chelsea striker Anelka was sent home for a foul-mouthed rant at Domenech, with the players boycotting the following day's training session in protest.

"My first explanation for the fiasco is that we did not play well. We weren't up to it," said Henry.

Asked to comment more specifically on the Anelka episode, which made international headline news after L'Equipe sports daily quoted the striker's outburst on its front page, Henry said: "Perhaps there was something beforehand (between Anelka and Domenech) - maybe a malaise."

He added: "What struck me above all was how it got plastered on page one. What I do know is that those were not Nico's words. I know what he said but I'm not Nicolas Anelka. I shall let Nico say what he has to say.

"I think we had to show our support for Nicolas. Those weren't his words."

But in retrospect, Henry, who said his meeting with French president Nicolas Sarkozy on Thursday "went well", conceded that the decision to refuse to train was unwise.

"With hindsight, you can say it was a mistake," he said.

Henry also hinted that there is no longer the same respect for veterans as there was when he first broke into the France team 13 years ago.

"When I first got capped you waited to see where the veterans were going to sit on the coach. At Monaco (as a teenager), I got sent to clean the balls even after I had won the World Cup.

"Maybe there is no longer that respect. But it's a problem in society generally, isn't it?"

[Vince]

Gallas - Raymond is responsible

William Gallas has laid the blame for France's World Cup implosion at the feet of former coach Raymond Domenech.

Les Bleus crashed out in the group stage amid huge unrest in the camp, with Nicolas Anelka and Domenech involved in a bust-up which resulted in the Chelsea striker being expelled from the squad.

A subsequent strike by the players in protest at Anelka's expulsion added to the air of farce surrounding France's doomed campaign, which ended with the 1998 world champions finishing bottom of Group A with just one point and one goal to their credit.

The fallout from the fiasco accounted for French Football Federation president Jean-Pierre Escalettes, who resigned from his post having shouldered the blame for the dismal campaign.

Domenech left his role immediately after the World Cup to be succeeded by Laurent Blanc, and central defender Gallas has wasted little time in aiming a parting shot in an interview with Les Inrockuptibles magazine to be published on Thursday.

"If there has been a fiasco there are reasons, and we must not close our eyes: they come from the coach," Gallas told the magazine in excerpts published by L'Equipe.

"You can have the best players in your team, if you do not have a coach, you will not get results.

"The real problem was the coach. I was not good, we were not good. But the coach was not good either."

Domenech's reign was marred by what were perceived by many to be bizarre coaching techniques and selection decisions, and Gallas concedes it was difficult for players to build a relationship with the coach.

"There really was a communication problem" added Gallas, who is currently a free agent following the expiration of his Arsenal contract.

"Domenech was not open. Many players could not speak with him. That was my case.

"Domenech hammered into us time and again: 'Put your egos to one side'. But I believe that he forgot to do that himself."

Gallas also revealed his annoyance at the way Domenech handled the decision to make Patrice Evra captain for the World Cup campaign.

The 32-year-old had expected to be handed the armband with erstwhile skipper Thierry Henry relegated to a substitute's role, but Gallas was left disappointed when the coach made his decision.

"The hardest part of it is the manner in which it happened," he explained. "I realised when I entered the changing room prior to the friendly with Costa Rica that the captain's armband was placed beside Evra's shirt.

"Domenech told me: 'In any case, you would not be a good captain'."

[brazilianGOONER]