World-Chaos hits France camp as team chief quits

[WestVirginiaRebel]

Yahoo News:

KNYSNA, South Africa, June 20 (Reuters) - France’s World Cup campaign descended into chaos on Sunday with a row between captain Patrice Evra and a fitness coach, a boycott of a training session and the resignation of a senior team official.

All this came a day after striker Nicolas Anelka was sent home for insulting coach Raymond Domenech at halftime of a 2-0 defeat by Mexico on Thursday in Polokwane that left France on the verge of an embarrassing group stage exit.

The incidents were sparked by the players’ decision to protest against the French Football Federation (FFF)’s decision to kick out Anelka and also by a nervousness among the players after the player’s crude comments were leaked to the press.

The furore prompted President Nicolas Sarkozy to step in, asking his sports minister to prolong her stay in South Africa to speak to the captain and coach on Monday.

The French are regarded as one of the most powerful nations in world soccer, having won the World Cup as hosts in 1998 and finishing runners-up to Italy in 2006 when the event was last held in Germany.

Their form latterly has been relatively poor, though, and they only qualified for the finals through a controversial goal against Ireland in a play-off after striker Thierry Henry had clearly hand-balled.

Sunday’s public session, ironically on a pitch called Field of Dreams, was about to start when a furious row erupted between Evra and fitness coach Robert Duverne, leading to the immediate resignation of the team director.

Domenech had to move in to separate them. Duverne, who had apparently insisted training should take place, angrily threw his stopwatch on to the pitch and left.

“They don’t want to train, it’s a scandal,” France team director and FFF managing director Jean-Louis Valentin said as he also left the pitch.

“It’s a scandal for French people, for the youngsters who came here to watch them train. I’m resigning, I’m leaving the Federation. I have nothing more to do here. I’m going back to Paris.”
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French surrender to themselves, sacre blu!