Gallas: Domenech was France's main problem
Reuters - Wednesday 07 July 2010, 15:03
PARIS - Coach Raymond Domenech was the
chief architect of France's World Cup failure because of his
inability to communicate with the players, Arsenal's William
Gallas said on Wednesday.
The 32-year-old central defender, capped 84 times by France,
started all three group games of Les Bleus' South African
campaign which ended with a first round exit and was marred by
scandals off the pitch.
"The real problem was the coach. We suffered from a
communication problem. Domenech was not open to discussion," he
said in an interview to be published on Thursday by the cultural
weekly Les Inrockuptibles.
"A lot of players could not talk to him any more. Our
opinion carried no weight so after a while we stopped talking.
That's what I did. I was just listening and doing what he told
me to do."
Gallas also said that Domenech was responsible for the
boycott of a training session in support of striker Nicolas
Anelka sent home for insulting the coach at halftime in their
2-0 defeat by Mexico in their second group game.
"We wanted to protest against the decision taken by the
coach and the Federation particularly because the coach said
Anelka had not been kicked out because of his insults but
because he had refused to talk about it afterwards," he said.
"It's him (Domenech) who refused discussion. The boycott of
the training session was decided during a meeting of all the
players. Franck Ribery was late because of a television
interview. We all agreed to boycott training. There was no
pressure from the senior players," he added.
NO DISCIPLINARY ACTION
Domenech's six year tenure ended in such a disgrace that it
caused uproar in France.
Sports minister Roselyne Bachelot castigated "the disaster
of the national team made of immature gang leaders in command of
scared kids."
Lilian Thuram, a prominent member of the 1998 World
Cup-winning team and now a member of the French Federation's
council, said the players, who led the revolt, should be banned
from playing for France again.
France's new coach Laurent Blanc however told his first
press conference on Tuesday that it was not his responsibility
to take disciplinary action against players like Ribery, Patrice
Evra or Eric Abidal who have been branded as the ringleaders.
"I shall select them if I think they are the best players
available," he said. "I shall have to make choices and, perhaps,
some of the players who were in South Africa will not be chosen
if I decide they are not the best in their position."
The first real answer will come when the new coach names his
first squad before France travel to Oslo for a friendly against
Norway on Aug. 11.
The first official game under his tenure is scheduled for
September 3 when Les Bleus host Belarus in a Euro 2012 qualifier.
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