Malouda: System failure behind France debacle
Reuters - Saturday 03 July 2010, 10:39
PARIS - France's World Cup fiasco was the
fault of the system, a poor environment and the coach's refusal
to listen to players, according to Florent Malouda.
Malouda said there had been no dialogue between the players
and outgoing coach Raymond Domenech during a disastrous
campaign in which the team boycotted a training session in
support of Nicolas Anelka, who was sent home for insulting
Domenech.
"With France I came to play where I was asked to and that
was it," Malouda told weekly L'Equipe magazine in a interview
released on Saturday.
"We didn't even try to see the coach to talk about the
tactical system, 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1." added Malouda, blaming the
now ex-coach Domenech for a lack of flexibility.
"It was just 'put yourself there and no arguments'. We did
not look for explanations. Never in the last few years did my
words have any influence on the coach."
Unlike at their clubs, the players did not find ideal
conditions when playing for France, said the 30-year-old, who
has played 57 times for his country.
"It's the failure of a system that led to the debacle,"
said the Chelsea winger. "The players who play for Chelsea,
Barcelona, (Bayern) Munich or (Olympique) Lyon need a
high-level environment to blossom.
"It was difficult for me to accept the way the national
team functioned compared to a great club like Chelsea. Every
time I was called up to the national team, it was back to
negative stories and bad vibes".
Constant criticism from fans and media did not help, added
Malouda.
"We heard we were paid too much and now we're being called
gang leaders. We came to the France team to face stick. There
was no protection," he said.
"We talked about everything but football. At club level, it
is not like that. All the conditions are met for the player to
be in a healthy environment to compete."
The players were not the only ones to blame for France's
dismal showing, which ended with one draw and two defeats from
the group stage, Malouda said.
"There are (Federation) officials and a coach who must
offer their analyses," he said. "Ask the coach if he is proud
of his work."
Domenech, whose contract ended with France's elimination,
has been replaced by Laurent Blanc.
Meanwhile, French Football Federation (FFF) president
Jean-Pierre Escalettes officially handed in his resignation on
Friday.
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