Another shameful performance by the French -- on and off the pitch

Nicolas Anelka at the airport leaving South Africa.

I had this fear that the French national football team would not play well in the 2010 World Cup. So much for optimism, eh? Not really. My fears are more grounded in reality. For one, they are a slow starting team, and two, they had not played well in their qualifying matches for South Africa. If ever, I thought that they were lucky. There is the weight of expectation for Les Bleus since they are practically loaded with world-class players. Perhaps that begs the question, "Can all-star lineups work well together?"

Of course they can. Practically every squad in the South Africa is made up of a nation's best give or take a few who were excluded in the lineup.

It didn't bode well for this team even before they set foot in Africa. As much as I applaud the French Football Federation's announcement that Laurent Blanc will take over from Raymond Domenech after the World Cup, it would have served everyone better to wait. The embattled Domenech was practically a lame duck coach and in sports, it is oft the coach who is axed.

The row with Nicolas Anelka during France's loss to Mexico the other day was shameful. On the sidelines (although the bulk of it was inside the locker room), in front of television cameras, in front of dozens of photographers with cameras, and in front of thousands of people no less. Then in the wake of Anelka's removal from the team, the rest of the players refuse to train. Another wrong does not make a right in this case. It is disrespectful of the nation they represent.

Team captain Patrice Evra who plays for Manchester United said that there was a traitor within the team; one who leaked the dugout row. And some suspect that it is team official Jean-Louis Valentin who quit as soon as the team refused to practice. The players said that the person who leaked the news practically blew the row into something bigger.

But here is the statement released by the players as read by Domenech to the media at France's base in Knysna, SA:

"All the players in the French squad without exception wish to affirm their opposition to the decision taken by the French Football Federation (FFF) to exclude Nicolas Anelka. We regret the incident at half-time of the France vs Mexico match, but we regret even more the divulging of an event which was only the squad's business and was part and parcel of the life of a top-level team. At the squad's request, the player tried to engage in a dialogue. We regret that his move was willfully ignored. The FFF did not at any point try to protect the squad. It took a decision based solely on facts reported by the press, without consulting the players. As a consequence, and to signal their opposition to the attitude adopted by the most senior officials, all of the players decided not to participate in the training session scheduled for today."

It is disappointing for both sides and for the people who support the squad. The team has made more news for what it has done off the pitch as opposed to on the field.

And Anelka isn't on his way home to France but to London where he lives since he plays. To escape the peoples' wrath?

As a fan, I am disappointed over what has happened. I think after this episode, not one player on this squad should be included in future lineups for Les Bleus. Including them will send the wrong signals to officials and coaches. Better to start again with a practically new squad with new coaches.