World Cup Group A preview: France v South Africa
If your nation is performing badly at this slightly strange World Cup, then at least you can take solace in the fact that your nation isn’t France. And if it is, then you can only attract sympathy.
More sympathy than France’s players anyway, whose spectacular show of petulance after striker Nicolas Anelka was sent home has resulted in them refusing to train, the resignation of the France Football Federation’s managing director and increasing levels of chaos throughout the squad.
The players, led by captain Patrice Evra, have been lauded in some quarters for their backing of fallen comrade Anelka – expelled from the squad following a heated “debate” with coach Raymond Domenech during the half-time break of the defeat to Mexico last Thursday – but they appear to be overlooking one crucial fact, that they are representing their nation at a World Cup.
It’s a farce, but they might not be representing their country for much longer.
It might be wrong to state that the French players minds will be on their task in hand against South Africa in Bloemfontein on Tuesday afternoon, judging by the way they’ve been behaving, but in reality their fate could be sealed in Rustenburg, where Mexico face Uruguay.
A draw in that game puts both the Mexicans and the Uruguayans through, and so conspiracy theories abound that the result will be staged in order for the pair to progress. French minds would be on that possibility if only they could get off the continuing implosion of their squad, and it must be a real worry.
They need to beat South Africa first though, and the Bafana Bafana won’t want to go out of their own World Cup on a whimper, not that anything to do with their vuvuzela-themed campaign can be described as having a whimper about it.
Should the match between Mexico and Uruguay produce a winner, then theoretically both the hosts and France could still make the last 16 on goal difference, although it would need a four-goal swing in the French’s favour for them to qualify, and a five-goal difference for South Africa.
It’s unlikely for the hosts then – even with the current state of this warring French team – and so Bafana Bafana have to face their greatest fear, namely becoming the first host-nation to exit the World Cup at the group stages.
Their excellent, noisy, hospitable fans wouldn’t deserve that, but their team have to face facts on the pitch.
Last Wednesday’s 3-0 defeat to Uruguay in Pretoria simply wasn’t good enough, and the inevitable exit that that has provoked will become a reality here. In truth, many in the country had expected it, which certainly can’t be said about France.
This could be Domenech’s last match as the France coach, something that would no doubt be met with great elation in the country were it not linked to such bizarre circumstances.
The wars will continue in the French camp, but they must surely come together and do something that they haven’t done yet in the tournament – look like a somewhat functioning football team. They haven’t even scored a goal yet.
Who knows? This week’s “clearing of the air” may even bring them together, and they might put in good a performance, but all of that will be irrelevant if Mexico and Uruguay draw, which, judging by events involving Domenech and his team in the past week, is probably exactly what they’ll do.
A French farce indeed.
Tags: