The Remnants of Manager Raymond Domenech’s Torrid Reign Still Hurt France: Ribery, Anelka, Evra, Toulalan Banned
The French Football Federation has banned some of its key players after they were found guilty of involvement in indiscipline during their 2010 World Cup campaign.
Raymond Domenech was the disgraced manager of the French team that got eliminated from the World Cup in South Africa in the group stages. The French team had an abysmal performance (they finished last on the Group A table), and they were frequently let down by some weak managerial decisions. Like always, the manager was blamed for the humiliation of the national team, which resulted in the sacking of Domenech. The reigns of the team were held by Laurent Blanc after Domenech’s removal.
There was a major incident during the World Cup which involved a lot of senior French players. During the half time of their match against Mexico, Nicolas Anelka had a hot encounter with the manager in the team’s dressing room. This heated argument got dirty, as Anelka abused Domenech because of his incompetence. It was an unfortunate incident, as it really shook the French team from inside out.
Following this incident, Domenech took swift disciplinary action in order to maintain his control over the team. Anelka was sent back to France, leaving the team in further disarray, as goals were not coming for the French side. After this action, there was a huge reaction in the squad, as many players protested against Domenech’s decision. Patrice Evra, captain of the side, arranged a symbolic strike, and many French players decided to skip one of the training sessions. The players who joined hands with Evra were Franck Ribery and Jeremy Toulalan.
Now, the French Federation has decided to ban Nicolas Anelka for 18 matches. However, this ban is not significant, as Anelka has already taken his retirement from national football after his row with Domenech in South Africa. Still, Anelka is a great player for the French team, who would have come back to the national side ultimately. With this long ban, it has officially been decided to keep him away from international football, which is a great tragedy for the game.
Apart from this decision, Captain Patrice Evra has been banned for five matches, on account of bringing shame to the French team. Franck Ribery has been awarded a three match ban, while Jeremy Toulalan has been banned for a single match. All these players were found guilty of assisting Evra for the strike during a practice session.
The French team is already facing a lot of crises. There are hardly any players coming in to replace the older players, who have started to leave the team. Also, a lot of pride has been lost following the humiliation in South Africa, and an extra effort is required to restore the wounded pride of Les Blues. Therefore, such an action would create further problems for the team, which would make the job harder for their new manager.
Even the old members of Federation expressed their concern over such a decision. Jean Louis Valentin, former France team director, stated that the players should be given another chance. He believed that the remorse shown by the French players, after their rebellious behaviour, was enough to grant them an apology. Therefore, the things of past should be put behind, as a lot of hard work is to be done for the future.
Amidst such problems, the French team is starting their qualification campaign for Euro 2012 from 3rd September. Their first match is against Belarus, which could prove fatal in the absence of some big players. France has been placed in Group D, which looks easier for the giants. However, this group is not easier than their World Cup group, which proved impossible for them to conquer.
There are some good teams like Belarus, Romania and Luxembourg in Group D alongside France. The battle for qualification would be tough, and such incidents will make the job harder than before. Right now, the French team is going through a crisis, and the determination of their players and the hard work of their manager could be their only hope of survival.
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