France vs Norway: A Whole New 23

July 29th, 2010 | by: Sarah | View Comments

Which 23 players will this fan be cheering for on August 11th..?

As punishment for the events that transpired during the World Cup, Blanc has asked permission from the French Football Federation (FFF) to suspend the entire squad of 23 players that represented France at the World Cup for the next friendly France play.  A statement on the FFF website read:

“Laurent Blanc proposed to the federal council – who accepted – not to retain for the friendly against Norway, on Wednesday August 11 in Oslo, any of the 23 players officially selected by the French Football Federation for the World Cup in South Africa.”

Not really a surprise the FFF granted his request considering several of its members have been calling for life bans for some of the players.  Jacques Rousselot, a member of the FFF Council, has called for the team’s leaders who organized a boycott of training during France’s World Cup meltdown in South Africa to be banned for life.

“We know the five leaders…They must not play again for the national team.”

But Rousselot is not the only outspoken member of the FFF to call for such extreme measures.  Bleus alum (and World Cup 1998 Champion), Lillian Thuram, has also called for a life ban for Patrice Evra.  It remains to be seen if such extremes will be taken, for now Blanc has found a way to both punish such behavior without scapegoating certain members of the team (all statements given by the players – even Jeremy Toulalan – indicate it was a result of a collective decision without a single voice of dissent) AND delay making a final decision of “life bans” until cooler heads prevail.

But, in case you forgot, that means the following players will not be called up when France play Norway on August 11th in an international friendly:

Keepers:  Hugo Lloris (Lyon), Steve Mandanda (Marseille), Cédric Carrasso* (Bordeaux)

Defenders:  Bacary Sagna (Arsenal/ANG), Eric Abidal (Barcelone/ESP), William Gallas (Arsenal/ANG), Patrice Evra (Manchester United/ANG), Sébastien Squillaci (Séville/ESP), Gaël Clichy (Arsenal/ANG), Marc Planus (Bordeaux), Anthony Reveillère (Lyon)

Midfielders:  Jérémy Toulalan (Lyon), Alou Diarra (Bordeaux), Yoann Gourcuff** (Bordeaux), Abou Diaby (Arsenal/ANG), Florent Malouda (Chelsea/ANG)

Strikers:  Sidney Govou (Lyon), Franck Ribéry (Bayern Munich/ALL), Thierry Henry (Barcelone/ESP), Nicolas Anelka (Chelsea/ANG), Djibril Cissé (Panathinaïkos/GRE), André-Pierre Gignac (Toulouse), Mathieu Valbuena (Marseille)

*Bordeaux’s Carrasso left the squad before the players refused to leave the bus to train due to an injury sustained in training and is being punished with the rest of the squad.  Ironically, the player called to replace him as an ineligible subsitute, Monaco’s Ruffier, was on the bus that morning and is (supposedly) eligible to be called up by Blanc.  Regarding his status, Ruffier said,

“For Norway, I am a little in between. I do not know if I should put myself in the list of excluded or not.  On the bus I was there.  But honestly, I do not know what the coach is planning”

**Gourcuff is not only ineligible to be called up versus Norway, but will also miss France’s first two qualifying matching for Euro 2012 against Belarus (September 3) and Bosnia-Herzegovina (September 7) to complete his three match ban for the red card he received in France’s final group match vs South Africa.

SO WHICH PLAYERS COULD POSSIBLY BE ON BLANC’S LIST ON AUGUST 5TH?

Included in Domenech’s list of 30 (but cut for the final 23):   Mickael Landreau (GK, Lille), Rod Fannni (Defense, Rennes), Adil Rami (Defense, Lille), Yann Mvila (Midfield, Rennes), Hatem Ben Arfa (Midfield, Marseille), Jimmy Briand (Striker, Lyon), Lassana Diarra (Midfield, Real Madrid)***

***Named among the 23 World Cup players, Lassana Diarra (Midfield, Real Madrid) left the team before the tournament for medical reasons.

Players on the Outs with Domenech: Sebastien Frey (GK, Fiorentina), Julien Escude (DEF, Sevilla), Jean-Alain Boumsong (Def, Panathinaikos), Philippe Mexes (Defense, Roma), Samir Nasri (Midfield, Arsenal), Rio Mavuba (Midfield, Lille), Mathieu Flamini (Midfield, AC Milan), Benoit Pedretti (Midfield, Auxerre), Loïc Remy (Striker, Nice), Pierre-Alain Frau (Striker, Lille), Karim Benzema (Striker, Real Madrid)

Retired Internationals: Grégory Coupet (GK, PSG), Claude Makelele (Midfield, PSG), Robert Pires (Midfield, Sevilla), Patrick Vieira (Midfield, Manchester City), David Trezeguet (Striker, Juventus)

Have only had a tiny taste of the Bleus…: Michael Ciani (Defense, Bordeaux), Aly Cissokho (Defense, Lyon), Benoit Cheyrou (Midfield, Marseille), Moussa Sissokho (Midfield, Toulouse), Guillaume Hoarau (Striker, PSG)

(ALMOST) COMPLETE LIST OF POSSIBLE PLAYERS…

KEEPERS:  F.Audard (Lorient), Bracigliano (Nancy), Carrasso (Rennes), Coupet (PSG), Douchez (Rennes), Dreyer (Sochaux), Elana (Brest), Frey (Fiorentina), Gregorini (Nancy), Itandje (Liverpool), Janot (St. Etienne), Jourdren (Montpellier), Landreau (Lille), Pele (Toulouse), Penneteau (Valenciennes), Plante (Arles-Avignon), Rame (Bordeaux), Ruffier (Monaco), Sorin (Auxerre)

DEFENDERS:  Armand (PSG), Berthod (Auxerre), Bocaly (Montpellier), Boumsong (Panathiniakos), Brechet (Sochaux), Beria (Lille), Camara (PSG), Chalme (Bordeaux), Chimbonda (Blackburn Rovers), Ciani (Bordeaux), Cissokho (Lyon), Congre (Toulouse), Corchia (Le Mans), Dabo (Seville), Debuchy (Lille), Delpierre (Stuttgart), Diakite (Lazio Rome), Distin (Everton), Ebondo (Saint-Etienne), Escude (Sevilla), Fanni (Rennes), Fofana (Toulouse), Frey (Chievo Verone), Gassama (Lyon), Givet (Blackburn Rovers), Hengbart (Auxerre), Jallet (PSG), Kaboul (Spurs), Konko (Seville), Koscielny (Arsenal), Laurenti (Arles-Avignon), Mangala (Standard de Liege), M’Bengue (Toulouse), Mangani (Monaco), Marchal (Saint-Etienne), Marcq (Caen), Marveaux (Montpellier), Mater (Valenciennes), Mathieu (Valence), Mexes (Roma), Mignot (Auxerre), Monsoreau (Saint-Etienne), Morel (Lorient), Mouyokolo (Wolverhampton), Perquis (Sochaux), Plestan (Lille), Rami (Lille), Rodriguez (Marseille), Sakho (PSG), Sartre (Lens), Sauget (Sochaux), Seube (Caen), Silvestre (Arsenal), Sorbon (Caen), Souprayen (Sochaux), Tafforeau (Caen), Traore (Arsenal), Tremoulinas (Bordeaux), Yangambiwa (Montpellier), Zebina (Juventus), Zubar (Wolverhampton)

MIDFIELD:  Abriel (Marseille), Amalfitano (Lorient), Ait Ben Idir (Arles-Avignon), Balmont (Lille), Ben Arfa (Marseille), Bodmer (PSG), Brison (Nancy), Berenguer (Nancy), Cabaye (Lille), Capoue (Toulouse), Chantome (PSG), Cheyrou (Marseille), Clement (PSG), Coutadeur (Monaco), Dabo (Lazio Rome), Dalmat (Rennes), Danic (Valenciennes), Danze (Rennes), Dernis (Montpellier), Diarra (Real Madrid), Didot (Toulouse), Dumont (Lille), Demont (Lens), Ehret (Cologne), Faty (Roma), Faubert (West Ham), Feghouli (Valence), Flamini (AC Milan), Feret (Nancy), Gavanon (Nancy), Guily (PSG), Gonalons (Lyon), Grougi (Brest), Hamouma (Caen), Kapo (Wigan), Langil (Auxerre), Lemaitre (Nancy), Lemoine (Rennes), Malbranque (Sunderland), Martin (Sochaux), Marveaux (Rennes), Matuidi (Saint-Etienne), Mavuba (Lille), Mounier (Nice), Mvila (Rennes), Mvuemba (Lorient), N’Zogbia (Wigan), N’Zonzi (Blackburn Rovers), Nasri (Arsenal), Ngoyi (Brest), Obertan (Manchester United), Pedretti (Auxerre), Perrin (Saint-Etienne), Piocelle (Arles-Avignon), Rothen (PSG), Roudet (Lens), Sable (Nice), Saez (Valenciennes), Sako (Saint-Etienne), Sankhare (PSG), Sane (Bordeaux), Sertic (Bordeaux), Sirieix (Toulouse), Sissoko (Toulouse), Tabanou (Toulouse), Vieira (Manchester City)

STRIKERS:  Audel (Valenciennes), Bakar (Nancy), Bellion (Bordeaux), Benzema (Real Madrid), Bergougnoux (Lecce), Biabiany (Inter Milan),  Briand (Lyon), Contout (Auxerre), Fortune (Celtic), Frau (Lille), Giroud (Montpellier), Gomis (Lyon), Gouffran (Bordeaux), Gueye (Everton), Hoarau (PSG), Kakuta (Chelsea), Kembo-Ekoko (Rennes), Kitambala (Auxerre), Le Tallec (Auxerre), Luyindula (PSG), Maoulida (Lens), Maurice-Belay (Sochaux), Modeste (Nice), Monnet-Paquet (Lens), Menez (Roma), N’Gog (Liverpool), Payet (Saint-Etienne), Pentecote (Toulouse), Piquionne (West Ham), Pujol (Valenciennes), Quercia (Auxerre), Riviere (Saint-Etienne), Roux (Brest), Remy (Nice), Saha (Everton), Saivet (Bordeaux), Sinama-Pongolle (Sporting Portugal), Thomert (Hercules Alicante), Trezeguet (Juventus), Vahirua (Nancy)

BITS OF GOSSIP…

L’Equipe reports, five players from Lille but not Mickael Landreau were pre-convened by Laurent Blanc for the match against Norway in Oslo on August 11. This is Rami, Mavuba, Cabaye, Debuchy and Balmont. The new coach should announce at noon next Thursday (August 5) the list of players selected for this friendly match, his first on the bench for the Blues.

In his interview with L’Equipe, Laurent Blanc has confirmed that Samir Nasri (Arsenal) could be included as an ideal alternate to Gourcuff: “In his record, he has an obvious argument [to be chosen],” said the new national coach.

Valencia has announced that for the first time in his career, Jeremy Mathieu has been preselected for the France team.