Evra, Henry and Abidal to give tell-all interviews tonight!

What an enormous shit piece of work is Evra! I never liked him but geezus, I never thought he was this bad.

It is Domenech who is the shit piece of work. The racist idiot should have called up at least one of the best players in Europe: Samir Nasri, Ben-Arfa or Benzema. These players never miss a goal. France would have gone far with these players.

I used to like them too but they are so arrogant diva snobs showing no respect to Henry and the older players.
Also, they don't seem like they are too excited for the blue Shirt with a Chicken taped on it. And they are hugely inconsistent.
They need to learn from Toulalan how to act.
We need an Toulalanish zidanesque gourcuffian person as coach
is it really sooo hard to play as a team when you got the same goal? i dont get it

Suprised Abidal doesn't have his head completely up Dom's ass, being that the man allowed him to continue to play at CB, where he has been an utter disaster: getting a red in the box against Italy and giving up two goals vs. Mexico. Hopefully he won't be back once Blanc takes over.

Henry's interview wasn't bad, but it really doesn't answer anything. Almost all of the interviews are equivocation or refusal to answer. Evra's was the most telling about his personal integrity and morals though, my opinion of him has gone down this World Cup.

I'm REALLY tired of Henry's obsession with getting respect from the younger players. I think this constant demand of the senior (as in, the 2006 and before) crew is one of the biggest reasons for the tensions within the squad.

Henry, Gallas, and co need to stfu. Past glories don't mean crap when things are at stake NOW.

I saw the Evra piece live and knew right away we wouldn't get much from any of them.
It was an impossible situation they put themselves in, thinking they would look like the good guys, protesting the firing of their friend. Only, the friend in question wasn't exactly doing wonders on the field, plus their strike is perceived as a cause for losing to SA, and it made them look like spoiled brats. They lost any support from the public, and what's interesting is that the thunder of the blame has turned onto them rather than the sole Domenech. Exactly the contrary of what they intended.
L'Equipe knew what they were doing as they ran that headline on Saturday, or did they? A few friends of mine won't ever buy that paper anymore.

Oh, and if I was a French player in that kind of situation I would probably ask myself pretty often: WWTD – what would Thuram do?

Yes, why should anyone listen to veterans? Or record goal scorers? What with their experience and wisdom… silly gooses

I don't know why england took Beckham with them, his ankle got busted, he can't play, his past acheivement, experience in 2 best leagues in the world, and record england caps dont matter anymore!! nothing to offer.

I see a guy wishing he had more power to mitigate some of the crap morale in the camp. Of course, as in your case, you chose to see somehting that supports your prejudices against someone you perceive to be an egotistical guy. This is a guy that cheered his Barcelona teammates on as he was relegated to 4th/5th choice striker (fairly or not, that's not the issue) by his coach.

If we was just sitting on the sidelines dodging controversy some of us would have been wondering why he was content to do so given his stature (at least the one we assumed he would have within group, turns out we were mistaken) and the responsibility that comes with it

I think we are still paying the price for Zidanes shameful actions in 2006. His failure to immediately apologise to materazzi has set the tone for a few generations.

Second WC in a row France ended it disgrace

Yeah, but it's not just a matter of being guided by veterans. For example, the incident when Nasri sat in Henry's seat on the bus, which then prompted Gallas and Nasri to get into a major row.

Seriously? It's a SEAT. Henry's ego should be able to handle sitting in the next seat over.

4 years ago, France met Italy at the finals. Nowadays, they met each other at the airport.

Go @@@K yourself you bloody fool. Shameful is people like you coming on here replaying the past and refusing to let go. To relate the Zidane head butt and the current status of the team is just pure ignorance on your part John. Maybe spineless worms like you don't react to defend their honor but some like Zidane who rightfully or wrongfully did what he did have the backbone that you missed at the time of birth.

So if a coach called up Samir Nasri and left off Ben Arfa or Benzema, would you call that coach a racist?

I'm not defending Domenech because he's been a catastrophe, but be careful with the racism allegation, and lumping three individuals in a group.

Domenech called up Benzema and Nasri for Euro 2008. Benzema underperformed, with plenty of chances to shine. Benz was very in-form for Lyon before he joined big-money Galacticos Part II with Real Madrid, where he struggled for both form, and playing time. With Higuain performing so well, “Benzegol” was relegated to the bench. Most if not all coaches demand that strikers going to the World Cup at least be in-form, scoring goals for their club team, and ready to do the same for country…

Leaving Samir Nasri off the team. Well, I think that was clearly a mistake. Domenech did call him up to Euro 2008 but only gave him a few minutes as a sub. Nasri-Henry-Gallas-bus seat row? Maybe Raymond felt like he was a good player but lacking in the maturity department, and perhaps too fragile, based on the injuries at Arsenal? Either way, a bit of bad luck for Nasri, as far as injuries and timing.

Mike, do you follow Marseille, or Lyon? Hatem Ben Arfa was designated a prodigy when he was young. He got a lot of chances. Clairefontaine, and chances to shine with Lyon and Marseille. And everywhere he goes, the coaches and fellow players want to get rid of him? Why? Can they all be racist? Read about HBA's disciplinary record and his tendancy and inclination to start fights with teammates (Lyon vs. Benzema), opponents (kicking Benfica and Lorient players), coaches (trying to pick a fight with and challenging Didier Deschamps). Do just a little bit of digging on Ben Arfa's fights with teammates, and you'll know why he's a risky pick. There's a group called “Voir Ben Arfa Dribler Tout Le Monde et Finir Par Perdre Le Ballon” on Facebook for a reason… That's his trademark move, losing the ball to the opposition after some flashy dribbling. He's a really inconsistent player, and those of us who actually watch him play know that when he gets his mentality together, he can play well, but when his head is not in the right place (often), he's really good at showing off dribbling skills in space, and giving the ball back to the other team. He's also good at falling asleep on the bench… And even with all these issues, and being pushed out of Lyon and soon to be traded out of Marseille, Domenech called him up for the 30-man squad before trimming down to the 24/23 players to take to SA. Maybe HBA will grow up one of these days so that he can actually help out his country, and whatever club(s) he'll be playing for in the future.

I'm hoping to see all these guys feature for France, provided that they're in-form.

Too bad Benzema went to Real Madrid. Anywhere else, or if he stayed with Lyon, maybe he could have gotten to show his stuff. I'm just hoping Nasri can keep his good form and most importantly stay healthy for 2012. Ben Arfa… well, i have my doubts, but I actually do wish the guy well. He was an inconsistent sub for Marseille this past season, but he actually played like a professional for a full 90 minutes, so he has the potential to be a consistent starter, perhaps, one day.

His honour? With respect you obviously don't know much about ZZ and his foul mouth during his playing career. The only thing I find more offensive than his cowardly headbutt is people who try and justify such behaviour.

I beleieve there is a direct link to ZZ exit in 2006 and the way our players and manager behaved for the world to see at this world cup.

Thanks Sarah. I missed the interviews today, but caught bits and pieces of them on the tube.

Thankfully, left-back is not a position Laurent Blanc will have to worry too much about for Euro 2012. It'll be easy to ditch Captain Evra because of all the other great players that can take his spot. He can keep being a star for Man U….

Abidal is obviously ashamed and sorry, it's all been in hindsight. The Barcelona man can go back to caring about playing and behaving well for the club team that pays him so well… Bye Eric.

Henry is still worried about semantics. No one cares if a mouse with a microphone working for L'Equipe captured Anelka's words or if there were multiple moles, or if Anelka angrily “mumbled” or angrily yelled whatever insult he said to Domenech. The team limped through the second half of the Mexico match, while Anelka literally walked through most of the first half, not really trying to play his position at all.

As you said, these guys aren't really taking any responsibility at all. The closest thing I've seen to genuine remorse has been Malouda's brief television interview (I forgot if it was TF1 or France 24) where he basically apologized to everyone, including the fans and the entire country of France, for his part in the mess. He sounded genuinely ashamed and embarrassed, and whether it's a personal apology or just what his agent wants him to say to help him regain the trust of his sponsors, it's good to see him step up and take responsibility, doing what Evra is clearly unwilling to do…

Anyways, it's still a bit of a sore subject, but I'm moving on…

Euro 2012 can't get here soon enough. At least now I can get back to obsessing about Marseille

They're saying all the juicy bits for their tell all biographies…
I'll refrain from judging once I hear from Gourcuff and the other camp..

So, all three so far have said there weren't any “clans”, that there wasn't a bad feeling in the group, that the players weren't consulted about Anelka being sent home, that everybody agreed to strike, that what l'Equipe/FF wrote wasn't what Anelka said, and they only realised how stupid their strike was after it/the next day…

Nobody ostracised Gourcuff, it was simply the press making some stuff up from mundane information and trying to make some filler content, Anelka didn't want to apologise for something he didn't say, everybody supported the strike over Anelka's dismissal, and the group was united against the decisions made by the FFF.

Perhaps the media don't really know what happens in the dressing room and the team coach, and not only should they shut up a little, but when basing your argument on what they say, you shouldn't take it as the gospel. But hey, perhaps they're colluding and trying to hide the truth, hoping that the “good guys” Sagna-Gourcuff-Lloris-Toulalan-??? won't be able to make their voice heard about how they were victimized, bullied, the “clan” forced Domenech to drop Gourcuff, the “clan” almost beat them into submission so they'd strike, and because of missing that training session they weren't able to qualify, despite it being easily within reach of the team.

Players from Chelsea obviously need an attitude adjustment. Whether it be Drogba, Terry or more recently Anelka. We don't know what exactly happened in the dressing room but it is glaringly obvious that Anelka did say something. Whether it was as blatantly offensive as L'Equipe quoted or not Anelka offended the Manager. In any team game the job of a manager is to keep the side united and in control. If the team isn't disciplined enough it is going to lose no matter what, especially if it has players with bloated egos.

Kicking Anelka out was a good move, but RD should've considered the ramifications of kicking him out and whether he had the authority to control the team, which in retrospect he obviously didn't. France needs a fresh batch of players, players who let their game talk for them and not their ego. They need to be kept in line by a strong manager. It is the ability to instill discipline in the younger generation that keeps managers like Sir Alex, Mourinho, Capello or Hiddink winning cups for their squads. An obvious disgrace for a footballing power house, but as a true fan of the FNT I hope that this costly lesson is learnt.

Inara, when Henry said “I could have been the big brother, but it wasn’t because I was put aside”. He never said i was put aside by the others(the team). Never. In his carier like Djorkaeff, Henry never blame a teammate, never. He said “On m'a mis à l'écart”. “On” was the way in french you could designate an authority without name it. To his purpose about respect and young players, he answered a question about if he could see an evolution in football between his beginnig (1998) an now. He answered that there was a respect to the youngs for the olders in a team that seem to disappear, and that seem to be a common thing you can see in society. So he never complained like you seem think it again his younger teammates, but more the way he was totally isolated and crucified after his hand. Moreover that 's not reported by Sarah but it clearly said in the beginning of the interview that all that was said by “L'Equipe” were lies, and that these kind of lies appear each time you loose, that the only real thing is that they were not good.

They promised to tell everything. But in the meantime, they talked with their lawyers. Those interviews don't tell much, all we know is that they are lying. Each one of them tries to cover himself, and it really looks like they still haven't understood the consequences of their behavior.
How could they not see that this strike was suicidal ? It still puzzles me. They still don't seem to realize what wearing the blue jersey means. they showed a baaaaaaad example and they don't seem to fully realize it;
I'd love to hear Toulalan's version (he said he'd talk later), or Lloris' or Gourcuff's, who were obviously not leaders of the rebellion.
But I think it is in the interest of les Bleus that nothing comes out. Some of these guys might wear the same shirt in August and september for the next games, and they'll have to be one team again.

Domemech certainly deserves some of the blame. But when a player goes off on the coach and he can not take action because the other players disagree and strike, it's a sign the prisoners are running the jail. It's an honor to play for your country. Not the other way around. They should all be kicked off the team.

I was abused by someone, can't remember his username, for a comment which said something like “you always get what you deserve in life.”
I would therefore like to QUOTE Thierry Henry in a recent interview; “They always say you get what you deserve.”
Thank You.

I'm not accusing Henry of singling out his teammates, but he should have focused more on contributing as a player and not as a big brother. Plus even before the handball incident, before his “isolation,” his leadership abilities were a dismal failure considering the state of the team. Even then, there was that running drama over respect.

If the younger players didn't respect him and his cronies enough, it's because they needed to earn that respect on the pitch and in the locker room, not just from their past accomplishments. Henry is older and should have the experience by now to lead those younger players. He shouldn't be expecting it. Not mention it mournfully in the press that he isn't getting the respect he is owed due to his age.

i have never understood the hysteria the headbutt prompted – ridiculous. in football, there are a couple of different ways of retaliating for verbal and physical abuse (if you saw the match, materazzi was dishing both, as is his wont – well known thug). swing an elbow while going up for a header (a materazzi specialty, btw). cleats up 2 footed challenge. the former knocks a player out of the match, the latter can end a player's career. zz – who yes, had a very bad temper – instead chose the old-fashioned “marseille handshake.” not only did he NOT end materazzi's career, materazzi was just fine a few seconds later, thank you very much, and scored in the penalty shoot out. you want a bad example – busting someone's face wide open with an elbow. breaking someone's leg or tearing their ACL with a horror challenge. those are “cowardly” acts. a head butt to the chest??? GIVE ME A BREAK!!!!!! i'm as sick of sanctimonious moralizing over the head-butt as i am over henry's hand ball. get a sense of proportion, people. seriously, just think for a few seconds about the serious injuries that are caused by truly brutal and reckless acts in football matches, then compare these to the infamous head-butt.

and a professional athlete with a foul mouth – john, heaven forfend!!!

my azzurri and les bleus at the bottom……… As much as i hate france its depressing seeing these two powers in their current state. Heres to euro 2012 and a return to power, enough with these upstart spanish, dutch, and portuguese…….

they are definitely suffering as a result of Zizou….but it's because he retired, not because of the headbutt. I'm sure those old guys like gourcuff and toulalan, who were such integral parts of that team in 06 are still dealing with it daily. Zidane doesn't owe matterazzi a damn thing. In 50 years when people look back, they'll see that zidane, the legendary, greatest player of his generation headbutted whatshisname, that dirty italian.

Anyone who has followed france even remotely closely has known that this was going to happen in 2007/08. Domenech has been on a downward spiral, and his selections got worse and worse after euro08. So don't think you're being clever by claiming it was bound to happen. I've known since 2006 that 2010 was going to be a bad world cup, and that it would be a rebuilding period. Admittedly, i just didn't think it was going to be this rough.

Took 34 years for the calls to even out, but today it did. 1966 the goal that was not, and 2010 the goal that was, and yes it could have entirely changed the whole complexion of the match. What does that have to do with France you ask? well just curious to see for one how the biased English Tabloids will spin this fiasco, and will it follow the Germans and their supporters with the same intensity that the Henry handball has done the French.
Regardless of the 3 goal differential at the end of the match, the equalizing disallowed goal could have resulted in a different ending for England. As Les Bleus fans I have the utmost confidence that none of us would be as low class and coward as others coming on our boards reminding us of such incidents as the Zidane Head butt over and over. Let's wait and observe anxiously.

Most of you are way off on Evra. His Man U teammates have nothing but praise for him and he has never been known as a problematic figure. The early part of his career at both Nice and Monaco were void of any personality conflicts as well. Portraying Evra as some sort of villain is irresponsible and immature.

no matter what, france is still my favorite team..
i hope they can rebound very well

it was fff fault in a grand manner not to put away domenech as quick as possible after euro 2008 disaster, and unlike santini who had a dismal result at euro 2004, santini knew how to play with a scheme.
domenech seems to just send the players out to play without any style and tactics at all..

worst of all, fff had a lot of better options of better coaches after euro 2008 fallout…

as easy as that

Malouda spoke yesterday on France 2.

Unfortunately I didn't see it so all I have is press reports like this one by L'Equipe

http://www.lequipe.fr/Football/breves2010/20100...

Summary : Malouda was in Haiti for a humanitarian project with singer Wyclef Jean. He basically said that he felt they were ridiculous and he didn't want to live that again. He said he was disappointed and shocked when Anelka was fired. The rest of his statement is pretty ambiguous so I'm gonna try to translate it the best I can
(about the Anelka affair and the strike) “My opinion didn't count and doesn't count and there's no use for me to tell more about that now. It's over. It's too bad. What the players think doesn't count.”

Then he said that off-field matters spoiled the pleasure to play, to be in South Africa for this historical moment. He added that tensions within a group happen and will always do”
Then he said that he had the feeling that this WC was like a bottomless well, that they sank deeper and deeper as time went by.

ESCALETTES RESIGNS !

I heard it on the radio while i was writing my comment about Malouda's interview.

Good news ! I really thought he wouldn't. The man was honest and righteous but was totally overtaken by events. As FFF's president he was the one who kept Domenech after the 2008 fiasco.

http://www.fff.fr/presentationfff/actualite/533...

These players aren't fit to breathe the same air as Thuram!

JOHN, STOP PRETENDING YOU'RE FRENCH OR A FRANCE SUPPORTER! Administrators, you know who this guy is. He's an Italy supporter, a France hater and a troll who joined this site in 2006 and knows nothing about the sport.

FZ, john is NOT French nor a France supporter. He's an Italy supporter and a regular troll on this blog who ONLY ever talks about zidane and the headbutt. He joined this blog in 2006 and knows absolutely nothing about football. Ignore him.

And YOU john know nothing about zidane or materazzi (a player whom Italians routinely called “the animal” for years but you wouldn't know that)– and you NOTHING about French football nor Italian football. And given how pathetically Italy performed in S.Africa, your hypocrisy is even worse.

pierrot, ignore john, he's NOT French nor a France supporter — in fact, he HATES the French and is one of these US/Canadians of Italian extraction who went on the world cup bandwagon in 2006, knows absolutely nothing about the sport, nothing about zidane except the headbutt, joined this site in 2006 as a gloryhunting North American Italian who spouts only ignorance. He's never gotten over the headbutt, it's all he talks about. He's totally obsessed with it. He's a regular troll who plagues this blog with absolute ignorance and stupidity.

It appears they aren't, Sandra…

Stéphane Ruffier, France's fourth goalkeeper who joined the group in South Africa after Cédric Carasso's injury, gave a different version of the events yesterday on Canal +. He said that the boycott was the decision of a few players around Evra and that the rest of the group had followed in support of them. But he added that probebly some players didn't want to do that, and that some guys “were not themselves” when they followed. He also said that what happened in the bus and within the group is srictly between the players and shouldn't come out.

He was the first one, after the “leaders” and the seniors (Evra, Abidal, Henry, and to a lesser extent, Malouda) to suggest that the unanimity was only a façade and that some players didn't agree about the boycott even if they didn't dare to face the leaders.

Thanks for your posts, Nicolas.

Unfotunately for us France seems to have a great deal more rebuilding than Italy. I look forward to a time when our two great countries are at their best again.

France is going through a phase were we lack leadership and quite frankly class. The new young players will hopefully step up and put the bad memories of 2006 and 2010 behind us.

Henry is one of the legends of French football. If younger players can't respect that, then they don't deserve to wear the shirt. So many people here are so concerned about the present, the results, that they totally neglect the history. If all you're concerned about is the product, getting the win, then you have no right to consider yourself a fan. You might as well just bet on horses.

I think people are making so much of a big deal out of the walk off because of the miserable performance on the field. If the same thing happened and the won all three games, we'd be cheering them on for solidarity. But face it, they stunk. I don't care if Anelka doesn't ever play for France again, and I don't care what he said to Domenech (he's human), he just doesn't do his job.

What bad memories of 2006? Making it to the final is a success for any team. And the headbutt? Oh, c'mon this is sports not a poetry reading.

Help me out here, my French is not that great. I can read it somewhat, speak it somewhat, but hearing French people speak, I can't understand a damn thing. Anyway, in the interview, did Henry announce his retirement from international football?

I don't agree

1) Walking off is not respecting the blue jersey. For a professional player, doing your job is playing well but it is also behaving well off the field and show respect.

2) If you wanna play the game of “ifs”, I don't think that if France had won all 3 games, the Anelka story would have leaked. it only occured BECAUSE we lost. I mean all this was the result of a war between Domenech and the press. The press was frustrated by Domenech's lack of explanations and fell on him at the first opportunity. The federation closed their eyes. Everything exploded in their faces.

No one needs to remind the world of zidanes cowardly headbutt on a fellow footballer. The first sentence when you google his name talks about his disgraceful exit on the worlds biggest stage.

I'm pissed off at him for how he left the game. I had to tell explain to the children in my neighbourhood why everyone was calling ZZ a punk bitch. Not an easy thing to explain to 4 year olds but they understood.

How ok'd are you?

Shame on you for ” blaming the victim”. You do more harm to our French reputation by your foolish blind defense of the indefensible.

Your mad that our beloved zizou left the game in utter shame but you should direct your bitterness where it belongs, Zizous bald head.

Allez Les Bleus!

Haitians are great people

somebody ask evra how come they didn't respect the coaches decision about anelka, even though he clearly said in the interview that “Evra : choices of the coach need to be respected, that’s my education.”

cut the crap, fans need the wins

It was so damn great to watch Zizou knocking down the bastard. it would have been more exciting if he kept beating the shit out of him while laying down on the ground.

John, the hate is eating you inside. You need a head-butt antidote in the ass from Zizou to remedy the hate syndrome

I disagree….. To fight like a man is one thing but to sucker punch or headbutt someone is not very honourable.

He knows it, I know it, the world knows it and deep down you know it too.

Sport? Do you mean WWE? What sport involves a heatbutt? What sport involves an assault? What sport approves of such unsportsmanlike behaviour?

Not the beatiful game… Not my sport!

Why Zizou Why!