Somebody (Finally) Comes to Henry’s Defense

One of Henry’s France teammates finally came to his defense on Thursday, refuting those egotism charges. France Team Captain and longtime Henry pal Patrick Vieira said in l’Equipe*, “This general suspicion is unbearable, because it rests on anonymous remarks, impossible to prove… If [what the teammates said about Henry] had been the case, I would not speak, I would remain in my corner knowing, deep down, that all this is true. But it is all false ”

So there you go. It’s all false.

Coach Raymond Domenech also kind of came to Henry’s defense, but his concern is less with Henry and more with the team. Which is always Raymond’s top concern. I have a feeling that if Raymond had discovered he could guarantee a win in September’s France-Italy game by sacrificing 100 Italians and consuming soup made from their bones, the Fair-Play headline would have read, “Domenech Gets Fair-Play Award (Except For That One Little Cannibalism Incident).”

Says Raymond: “For the past two-and-a-half year, we…brought together staff and players [and] constructed a group, an environment which has made it possible for each to develop in an atmosphere of serenity and to give the best of himself. It is this state of mind which has kept us going all these months and which has, in part, made it possible for us to qualify for World cup 2006 and to do well in Germany. I said it before the World cup and what I say hasn’t changed: to obtain good results and to qualify for Euro 2008, the France team needs support, not denigration.”

Hear that, boys? Support! NOT denigration! (I’m sure that will make everything all better.)

And let’s totally skate around the possibility that when people feel they have a legitimate place to take their concerns, they tend not to go anonymously to reporters. This couldn’t be, like, a management issue, could it Raymond?

*L’Equipe hates me and never shows me the articles that other bloggers insist are there. So if this turns out to have never actually appeared in l’Equipe… Well, sue me. I tried.