This summer is going to be a summer of disclosures for Team France, as virtually every French player has something that he wants to get off his chest after their disaster of a World Cup.
Most of all Patrice Evra, the now “ex captain” of the Bleus. Stripped today of his captaincy and sitting out every minute on the bench.
He said he would soon give his version of events behind the scenes of the disastrous World Cup.
But before doing that, he said: “I just apologize. I wanted to apologize yesterday, but I was prohibited from doing so” implying that Domenech had forbidden him to do so.
About Nicolas Anelka’s expulsion :
“People do not yet know the whole story,” before promising to detail “every minute” of the grotesque weekend spent in Knysna by the Blues. “I did not hide anything,” assured the former captain of the Blues, adding that ” tonight [Tuesday], was not the time “.
” It is not the time to settle accounts, this is the time of forgiveness, and to feel the suffering of the thousands of French. The French need to know the truth, because the team of France belongs to the French and to no one else. ”
Evra promised to hold a press conference later in the week.
Nicholas Anelka, the principal actor in the imbroglio, also issued a statement through his brother Claude after returning to London.
“It’s better that the World Cup ends so that he can then speak, it’s not useful to speak now, it would only aggravate things.”
The fault lines it would appear lie between a coterie of older players who would never see another World Cup and a group of younger players. Things came to a head over the boycotted training session which was instigated by this older group but not supported by the young players.
They came in tears to Domenech to apologize for what was happening. Domenech and the FFF president Jean Pierre Escalettes decided to try and negotiate but things became quite crazy as these older players were banging on the bus windows screaming at the bus driver to drive away from the training grounds. The scene left Robert Duverne, the physical trainer who was earlier involved in a fracas with Patrice Evra, and the goalkeeper coach Bruno Martini, weeping by the bus.
One has a persistent feeling William Gallas has a lot to do with this. So pass out the popcorn, get a beer or two, and see the soap opera unfold.