French National Team Suspended For Stereotypically French World Cup Performance
The French National Team is in timeout. Rightfully so.
A month after France’s egregious performance in South Africa, one that embarrassed the country and was offensive enough to warrant a private meeting between French President Nicolas Sarkozy and new Red Bulls striker Thierry Henry, new manager Laurent Blanc has announced that no player from the World Cup roster will participate in France’s friendly against Norway on August 11th in Oslo.
Said Blanc:
I obviously cannot act as if nothing had happened in South Africa. I followed the events with sadness, I was disappointed with the sporting results and I was shocked by certain behaviors.”
How could he not be?
The behavior of the French team–Nicolas Anelka’s swearing bout with former manager Raymond Domenech, captain Patrice Evra’s lead role in a team mutiny, Frank Ribery’s recent involvement in a prostitution scandal–was such that many believe that the French players have proven themselves unworthy of representing Le Bleus in the future. Former French defender and member of the 1998 World Cup champion team Lilian Thuram was so outraged that:
“I asked for the players to be severely punished and for Patrice Evra never to come back into the France team.”
In light of the intense backlash, however, some players–like Goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, who renounced his team’s behavior today–are seeking redemption, aware of the shame that they have caused their country and caused themselves.
In Lloris’ words:
“Going on strike was the decision of a group that felt isolated, that felt no one had protected it, and that wanted to get a message across. We went way too far. It was a clumsy decision, a big mistake. It was totally stupid.
“We all want to restore the image of Les Bleus. I’m not asking for us to win everything, just that we all make an effort, that we give everything. We need to get back to basics, respect for the jersey, for ourselves, our teammates and the institution that is the France team.”
Kudos to Lloris for saying the right thing. But, as the cliche goes, actions speak louder and words. And, as was woefully apparent, the national team’s actions in South Africa were cacophonous.
With the qualifiers for Euro 2012 not too far off, Laurent Blanc has quite the decision to make regarding his roster: recycle and reform or start anew.
For the manager, it is an exercise in finding the lesser of two evils. And, for the sake of French football, hopefully his decision is the right one.
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發表於 2010-7-24 16:06:52
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發表於 2010-7-24 22:00:13
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