Outgoing French Football Federation president Jean-Pierre Escalettes believes Nicolas Anelka should never play for his national side again.The Chelsea striker was disgracefully sent home during the World Cup by Raymond Domenech after he refused to apologise for his half-time dressing-room bust up with the former coach.This event triggered a mutiny within the French camp, with players refusing to
French World Cup winner Liliam Thuram has said current captain Patrice Evra must never play for France again.Defender Evra played an integral role in a players' revolt following Nicolas Anelka's expulsion from the World Cup for insulting coach Raymond Domenech.The full-back was then stripped of the captain's armband and was dropped for France's 2-1 defeat by South Africa. I demanded that the play
PARIS - New France coach Laurent Blanc faces a huge task rebuilding thenational side after its calamitous World Cup left a once-proud team in ruins.Blanc was officially appointed as Raymond Domenech's replacement on Fridayat a French Football Federation council meeting. Domenech's troubled six-year reign ended with the team split by rifts andinfighting, derided by its politicians, and rejected
France's government says it has not meddled with its football federation.Fifa criticised the government after it summoned manager Raymond Domenech and the French federation's former president to a hearing on Wednesday. There was never any question of the French government interfering in the affairs of the French Football Federation, said spokesman Luc Chatel.France came bottom of their group aft
PARIS - French football federation president Jean-Pierre Escalettes says hewill quit later this week following France's World Cup fiasco.Escalettes says he will submit his resignation on Friday at a meeting of thefederation's federal council. France was eliminated at the group stage in South Africa for the secondconsecutive major tournament under coach Raymond Domenech.There were also open conf
Chelsea striker Nicolas Anelka has signed a one-year contract extension to keep him at Stamford Bridge until 2012.When I first came to Chelsea I wanted to stay much longer than I did in the past with other clubs, Anelka told the Premier League champions' website. There is no need to move anymore so I am very glad to sign a new contract. Anelka, 31, recently caused controversy when he was sent ho
BLOEMFONTEIN, South Africa - The referee waved a red card at the Frenchplayer, ejecting him from the game for a nasty, elbow foul.His coach buried hishead in his hands.Soon after, South Africa put the French out of their misery with a 2-1victory, and France's World Cup humiliation was complete.Seen as undeserving competitors even before the tournament began, France isgoing home early - winless a
France's Credit Agricole bank cancelled television ads featuring the French World Cup football team Monday after internal divisions in the camp exploded into a full-blown crisis.The announcement came after French fastfood chain Quick said Sunday it was stopping advertisements starring France's star striker Nicolas Anelka, who was sent home from the Cup after a foul-mouthed rant at coach Raymond D