FIFA World Cup 2010: Florent Malouda comes clean for the French
After the abysmal French national team performance, which saw them crash out of the FIFA World Cup 2010 in the first round, a lot of news has surfaced. The French president has met Thierry Henry to talk about what went wrong during their World Cup campaign.
The French president also met the French Minister for Sports to discuss some possible reforms to the French football system. In light of these reports, FIFA spoke up and warned the French president Nicolas Sarkozy about his interference and how it can have dire consequences for French football as a whole.
Florent Malouda also made comments to the press regretting the decision taken in South Africa by the French players to record their protest by boycotting training. (The decision was taken after Nicolas Anelka was sent back after an outburst at coach Domenech.) Malouda has now again addressed the press and this time, the left sided Chelsea winger has spoken up about faults within the French system.
Malouda revealed that the failure of the French World Cup campaign was a result of poor communication between the manager and the players, and also the “bad environment” that clouded the French camp.
Malouda said that he only played for France where he was instructed to, and he didn’t have any say in his position on the field. Malouda also remarked that the French players didn’t approach the manager to talk about the system that the French team played, whether it was with three strikers upfront or with one followed by three midfielders and two defensive players.
He explained that the attitude towards the players by the manager was “put yourself there and no arguments”; the manager Raymond Domenech exhibited no respect towards the players. He also said that he tried speaking out sometimes but his words did not have any effect on the manager.
Malouda, who is thirty years old and has played for France 57 times, and only scored 4 times for his country, also said that “It is the failure of the system which led to this debacle”. He also stated that players who come from big clubs such as Lyon, Bayern Munich, Chelsea and Barcelona need a good environment to show their skills, but that such an atmosphere was absent at the French camp.
The winger also said that it was difficult for him to personally see the French team fail so miserably because of the success he has had at Chelsea in the English Premier League during the past year. He expressed his disappointment and said that it was hard for the French players because all the news from the French camp was negative in nature.
Malouda elaborated on his quotes by saying that the French team read that they were being paid too much as football players, and also that they were being called names such as “gang leaders”. Malouda, who scored the only goal for France at the FIFA World Cup 2010, said that the coach should be asked some questions as well, because players are not the only ones to blame.
He said that the French Football officials must offer their own breakdown as well and they should ask the manager whether he is “proud” of the work he did with the team. Raymond Domenech, who was the French team’s manager at the World Cup, has now been replaced by Laurent Blanc. Domenech’s contract ended after France’s World Cup elimination.
The French Football Federation President, Jean-Pierre Escalettes, has also resigned after the disgraceful French World Cup campaign.
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