Les Bleus Update!
The savior of France/flawless human being will announce the Les Bleus lineup for the match against Brazil tomorrow (February 3rd) at 1400 hours (someone figure out the timezone) during a press conference at the headquarters of the Federation in Paris
WARNING: LONG READ AHEAD
PARIS - France coach Laurent Blanc insists he would pick whoever he saw fit for next week's friendly against Brazil after Sports Minister Chantal Jouanno demanded World Cup rebels apologise before donning the national shirt again.
Blanc is set to recall Patrice Evra and Franck Ribery for the Brazil date on February 9, and insisted in an interview with Midi Libre newspaper that he was "totally free to choose" the players he wants, despite Jouanno demanding they first apologise for their leading role in last summer's player strike in South Africa.
The squad mutinied after a dressing room row between former coach Raymond Domenech and veteran forward Nicolas Anelka saw the Chelsea veteran unceremoniously sent home while the team went on to crash out in the opening phase.
Politicians of all stripes were outraged at the players' behaviour, which they judged brought shame on the nation - but Blanc, who replaced Domenech after the tournament, insists he is his own man and can call up who he likes.
Manchester United's Evra and Bayern Munich's Ribery both served suspensions for their roles in the player rebellion and the former is now fit to return while Ribery is currently injured.
Jouannou, a former karate champion, said at the weekend that she "cannot understand the suggestion that the leaders of the rebellion in South Africa can be reinstated."
She opined that bringing them back into the fold "would be inadmissible" given that they had embarrassed France.
"You cannot bring shame on France and then expect to play for the national team again," she insisted, demanding that the pair at least first apologise.
"Aside from speaking out I cannot do anything," she conceded. "I have nothing against Evra, but as a player of the French team and especially as captain he did not defend sporting values which are also those of the Republic," Jouannou told sports daily l'Equipe.
Blanc insisted he alone will decide the composition of the squad.
"She has the right to say what she wants and to have her opinion," said Blanc, a mainstay of the French 1998 world champions and 2000 European champions as a player.
"I shall make my response on Thursday at 2 p.m (when he unveils his squad). I am totally free" to do so.
"We are fortunate to live in a democratic country where everyone has the right to have his opinion. That also means having the right not to share someone else's view," Blanc stated.
He did not accuse the minister of interfering in his brief but added that "I think above all people are finding it difficult to forget what happened last summer in South Africa.
"I meet many people who tell me they hope we can turn this page, but each time the French squad gets together the same old stories return. I hope the match against Brazil will be a chance to take another step forward" in putting the affair to bed, he concluded.
French Football Federation chairman Fernand Duchaussoy had said prior to Jouannou's comments that Evra, having served a five-match ban, had "completed his suspension" and was therefore liable to rejoin the squad if Blanc wished to include him.
"It's not a life sentence - that does not exist in football," said Duchaussoy.
French league chairman Frederic Thiriez said it had to be down to Blanc what constituted his best team, but cautioned that that meant "not only in physical and sporting terms but also ethically, morally and in terms of spirit."
Even so, he insisted that everybody concerned had to trust Blanc to make the right choices.
The French players union UNFP commented for its part following Jouannou's remarks: "Must one remind Mme Jouanno that in France, once one has served one's sentence one has paid one's debt to society? It seems the minister for sport does not share this view."
NEW NIKE KITS SMH
A footage from TF1. Look at how cute and smiley they are! Who cares about the basic kit *DEAD* LET'S SAMBA!
LES SOURCES Associated Press, Fédération Française de Footbal
This post is brought to you by locker room Yoann.
Thanks for your time and sorry for the basic post, it's my first here.
WARNING: LONG READ AHEAD
PARIS - France coach Laurent Blanc insists he would pick whoever he saw fit for next week's friendly against Brazil after Sports Minister Chantal Jouanno demanded World Cup rebels apologise before donning the national shirt again.
Blanc is set to recall Patrice Evra and Franck Ribery for the Brazil date on February 9, and insisted in an interview with Midi Libre newspaper that he was "totally free to choose" the players he wants, despite Jouanno demanding they first apologise for their leading role in last summer's player strike in South Africa.
The squad mutinied after a dressing room row between former coach Raymond Domenech and veteran forward Nicolas Anelka saw the Chelsea veteran unceremoniously sent home while the team went on to crash out in the opening phase.
Politicians of all stripes were outraged at the players' behaviour, which they judged brought shame on the nation - but Blanc, who replaced Domenech after the tournament, insists he is his own man and can call up who he likes.
Manchester United's Evra and Bayern Munich's Ribery both served suspensions for their roles in the player rebellion and the former is now fit to return while Ribery is currently injured.
Jouannou, a former karate champion, said at the weekend that she "cannot understand the suggestion that the leaders of the rebellion in South Africa can be reinstated."
She opined that bringing them back into the fold "would be inadmissible" given that they had embarrassed France.
"You cannot bring shame on France and then expect to play for the national team again," she insisted, demanding that the pair at least first apologise.
"Aside from speaking out I cannot do anything," she conceded. "I have nothing against Evra, but as a player of the French team and especially as captain he did not defend sporting values which are also those of the Republic," Jouannou told sports daily l'Equipe.
Blanc insisted he alone will decide the composition of the squad.
"She has the right to say what she wants and to have her opinion," said Blanc, a mainstay of the French 1998 world champions and 2000 European champions as a player.
"I shall make my response on Thursday at 2 p.m (when he unveils his squad). I am totally free" to do so.
"We are fortunate to live in a democratic country where everyone has the right to have his opinion. That also means having the right not to share someone else's view," Blanc stated.
He did not accuse the minister of interfering in his brief but added that "I think above all people are finding it difficult to forget what happened last summer in South Africa.
"I meet many people who tell me they hope we can turn this page, but each time the French squad gets together the same old stories return. I hope the match against Brazil will be a chance to take another step forward" in putting the affair to bed, he concluded.
French Football Federation chairman Fernand Duchaussoy had said prior to Jouannou's comments that Evra, having served a five-match ban, had "completed his suspension" and was therefore liable to rejoin the squad if Blanc wished to include him.
"It's not a life sentence - that does not exist in football," said Duchaussoy.
French league chairman Frederic Thiriez said it had to be down to Blanc what constituted his best team, but cautioned that that meant "not only in physical and sporting terms but also ethically, morally and in terms of spirit."
Even so, he insisted that everybody concerned had to trust Blanc to make the right choices.
The French players union UNFP commented for its part following Jouannou's remarks: "Must one remind Mme Jouanno that in France, once one has served one's sentence one has paid one's debt to society? It seems the minister for sport does not share this view."
NEW NIKE KITS SMH
A footage from TF1. Look at how cute and smiley they are! Who cares about the basic kit *DEAD* LET'S SAMBA!
LES SOURCES Associated Press, Fédération Française de Footbal
This post is brought to you by locker room Yoann.
Thanks for your time and sorry for the basic post, it's my first here.