Anelka sent home by France

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Anelka

France striker Nicolas Anelka has been sent home from the FIFA World Cup™ after after refusing to apologise for his half-time rant at coach Raymond Domenech.

The Chelsea forward was not at training today after the bust-up during Thursday's 2-0 defeat by Mexico, which saw him substituted at the interval. Anelka was asked to apologise by French Football Federation president Jean-Pierre Escalettes and, upon refusing to do so, was asked to leave the squad. "He will leave the Team France camp this evening," said a statement on fff.fr.

The Chelsea forward was apparently criticised by Domenech for straying out of position during a goalless first half, prompting an expletive-laden response from the 31-year-old. "Words spoken by Nicolas Anelka to the national coach, Raymond Domenech, are completely unacceptable to the FFF, French football and the values they defend," read the FFF's statement.

"After being informed on Friday evening of the serious incident during half-time of the France-Mexico match, federation president Jean-Pierre Escalettes asked Nicolas Anelka in the presence of captain Patrice Evra to present an official apology to the French public and to express regret for his remarks to Raymond Domenech, the staff and 23 players from the France team.

"Upon refusal by the player to deliver a public apology, he [Escalettes] made the decision - in full agreement with the coach and members of the official delegation in Knysna - to exclude Nicolas Anelka from the group."

Anelka goes home

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Anelka

French striker Nicolas Anelka rest of the World Cup 2010 will watch on TV. He was thrown off from the team, after verbal conflict with head coach Domenech.

Conflict of Nicolas Anelka and the French menu Raymond Domenech during the match against Mexico has resulted very badly for Anelka. Specifically, Anelka was sent home.

Chelsea player has cursed his menu in the locker room, according to French media, but he got a chance to apologize. However, he refused to do so.

"Once the player refused to apologize, president of the French Football Federation Jean-Pierre Escalettes in consultation with the coach and other officials, issued decision: "Nicolas Anelka is off the team".

Mexico subs shoot down France

Mexico subs shoot down France

France, FIFA World Cup™ finalists in 2006, are on the verge of crashing out of the 2010 event after losing 2-0 to Mexico in Polokwane's Peter Mokaba Stadium. Substitutes Javier Hernandez and Cuauhtemoc Blanco grabbed the goals as El Tri moved to within touching distance of the last 16 with a deserved win over Raymond Domenech’s lacklustre side.

This was a generally well-matched encounter, with little to choose between two talented but inconsistent sides. Mexico, however, just about shaded it, and certainly succeeded in creating the better of the chances throughout. The French defence looked vulnerable faced with the pace and movement of Mexico's youthful attack, and Les Bleus should really have conceded a goal inside eight minutes. All it took was a simple lofted ball over the top from Rafael Marquez to leave them exposed but Carlos Vela, having raced clean through, ballooned his left-foot shot high over the crossbar.

Mexico were showing plenty of ambition, and their willingness to commit men forward was exemplified in left-back Carlos Salcido, who twice went close midway through the half. First, with 18 minutes played, he charged forward from his defensive berth and rifled a low drive just wide of the far post. Then, nine minutes later, Salcido again burst forward, jinked inside Bacary Sagna and, with William Gallas backing off, poked in a right-foot shot that Hugo Lloris could only parry clear.

France were more cautious in their approach, although the largely-subdued Franck Ribery did provide one worthwhile effort with a powerful right-foot shot that flashed across goal. Mexico remained the more threatening, and even the loss of Vela to injury did not disrupt their rhythm, with the Arsenal striker's replacement, Pablo Berrera, heading just wide within a couple of minutes of entering the fray.

The French would have felt fortunate to return to the dressing rooms with the scores level, but they emerged with renewed determination and forced a decent early save from Oscar Perez when Florent Malouda was given time and space to crack in a powerful right-foot shot. With Mexico struggling to replicate their first-half form, Javier Aguirre rang the changes, and it was one of his substitutes, Hernandez, who provided the all-important breakthrough.

Marquez again split the French defence with a simple through-ball, and Hernandez, having sprung the offside trap, coolly sidestepped Lloris before sidefooting into the open net. A resolute French response seemed inevitable, yet it never materialised. Instead, Mexico made sure of all three points when Blanco slotted a textbook penalty to the right of Lloris after Barrera's thrilling run was halted by Eric Abidal's sliding challenge. El Tri now march on to their final fixture against Uruguay knowing that a point will be enough to see them through to the last 16, while France face the hosts knowing that only an unlikely set of results will salvage their South Africa 2010 dreams.

France, Uruguay draw a blank

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An opportunity to seize the initiative in Group A was missed at Cape Town’s Green Point Stadium as France and ten-man Uruguay served up a drab goalless draw. The earlier stalemate between South Africa and Mexico had presented their section rivals with the chance to claim top spot, but neither did enough to secure three points in a scrappy encounter in which Nicolas Lodeiro picked up the tournament’s first red card.

France’s difficulties at UEFA EURO 2008 and during FIFA World Cup™ qualifying have enabled them to sneak almost unnoticed into this competition, yet they reminded everyone of their considerable potential with some slick early play. Predictably, Franck Ribery was at the heart of the best of their attacking forays, and only Sidney Govou will know how he failed to convert the Bayern Munich winger’s inviting low cross after eight minutes. Ribery looked to have laid on a certain goal, with Govou inside the six-yard box when the ball arrived, but the Lyon player’s right-foot attempt lacked conviction and the ball trickled wide of the far post.

Les Bleus remained in the ascendancy, and Nicolas Anelka – who endured a frustrating evening – might have done better than head over from an intelligently weighted Yoann Gourcuff cross. The presence of Diego Forlan ensured that Raymond Domenech’s side were never able to rest easy, though, and the Atletico Madrid striker underlined his capabilities on 16 minutes with an effort out of nothing. Stepping inside from the left beyond William Gallas, Forlan unleashed a powerful right-foot drive that was heading for the net before Hugo Lloris got across to make a fine save.

Nonetheless, this was an isolated moment of concern for a French side who remained firmly in control, with Abou Diaby dictating the midfield pace. Gourcuff was also impressing, and with 18 minutes played he forced an alert save from Fernando Muslera with an audacious free-kick attempt on goal, inches from the left touchline. The game fell into something of a lull as half-time approached, but the tempo picked up again after the break, with Forlan blasting over after sneaking in between Gallas and Bacary Sagna. There was precious little penetration, however, and the growing frustration was summed up 12 minutes after the restart when Jeremy Toulalan tried his luck from all of 35 yards, bringing a comfortable save out of Muslera.

France introduced Thierry Henry in an attempt to re-establish their early superiority, but it was Uruguay who should have snatched victory, with Forlan wasting the best chance of the half, blasting wide from an unmarked position 12 yards from goal. Ultimately, however, La Celeste were happy to hold out for a point after second-half substitute Lodeiro earned a second yellow card for an ugly lunge on Sagna.

Uruguay-France preview

The second match of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ pits together two former world champions: Uruguay, the winners in 1930 and 1950; and France, who triumphed 1998. With hosts South Africa and Mexico making up what promises to be a tight Group A, the three points up for grabs in Cape Town on Friday could prove crucial. The last meeting between the two was a 0-0 draw in the group phase at Korea/Japan 2002, a result that contributed to the early elimination of both sides.

The match
Uruguay-France, Group A, Cape Town (Green Point Stadium), Friday 11 June, 20.30 (local time)

Despite their rich footballing traditions, both teams struggled en route to the world finals, only clinching their places in the play-offs. While La Celeste were squeezing past Costa Rica, Les Blues were being pushed all the way by Republic of Ireland, a nerve-racking end to a campaign that raised doubts about their ability to contest for honours at South Africa 2010.

The Uruguayans have looked the more convincing of the two in the build-up to the finals, beating Switzerland and Israel as part of their preparations. France, meanwhile, were brushed aside by Spain in March and lost 1-0 to China only last week.

In a bid to turn his side’s worrying form around, coach Raymond Domenech has introduced a new 4-3-3 formation, with Jeremy Toulalan operating in a lone holding role and Florent Malouda and Yoann Gourcuff supplying the bullets for the front men. Charrúa boss Oscar Tabarez will be sticking to his tried-and-trusted 3-5-2 line-up, with the midfield tandem of Ignacio Gonzalez and Alvaro Pereira supporting the fearsome strike partnership of Diego Forlan and Luis Suarez.

Players to watch
Diego Forlan vs William Gallas

Never lacking in grit and determination, Uruguay have plenty of attacking firepower to call on in South Africa. As usual, Forlan will be the spearhead. Having enjoyed a productive end to the league season with Atletico Madrid, he should not be lacking in confidence. His duel with Gallas will go some way to deciding the outcome of the match, although the Arsenal central defender has plenty of questions to answer after a frustrating injury-affected season. A solid performance against the ever-dangerous Forlan should help restore his confidence.

The stat
16 - Uruguay have won just one of their last 16 matches at the FIFA World Cup finals, a 1-0 defeat of Korea Republic at Italy 1990. Their last victory prior to that came 20 years earlier at Mexico 1970, when they won twice on the way to finishing fourth.

What they said
“Against Uruguay we’ll see whether we’re solid or not. Anything could happen to be honest. Uruguay do a lot of pressing when they’re not in possession, but if we can find a way round that by passing the ball then I’m sure we’ll see an improvement on our performances in the warm-up games,” Jeremy Toulalan, France midfielder.

“I’ve more or less decided on the formation we’ll be using. The tactics will depend on how the game unfolds because the only thing we’ll know for sure before the game is France’s line-up. But no matter how they play, the players we put out there will be able to adapt,” Oscar Tabarez, Uruguay coach.

Voice of the fans
“4-3-3 is a sound tactic when you have experienced players but it can be a bit of a risk if the coach has only just started to use it. The players will have to work really hard because there won’t be any space in the midfield. At the same time, to create chances you have to attack down the wings. France have been playing 4-5-1 for years and they’ll have to prove that they know how to use this system,”

Domenech seeking French formula

With the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ just days away now, it is not getting any easier to predict how France will fare in South Africa. In contrast to many of their fellow traditional heavyweights, Les Bleus will begin the competition with precious little continuity and plenty of question marks.

While Dunga, Vicente Del Bosque, Marcello Lippi and Fabio Capello have been fielding settled line-ups for the last two years at least, France coach Raymond Domenech has presided over a radical overhaul of late. Certain to be leaving his post whatever happens between now and 11 July, he no longer has any need to tread carefully, but whether his tinkering will help France replicate their Germany 2006 highs or mirror their UEFA EURO 2008 lows remains to be seen.

New system, new partnerships
Back when France were struggling to bring their supposed superiority to bear on their South Africa 2010 qualifying group, Domenech’s refusal to experiment with the formation was what riled his critics the most. No matter what team they were facing or the stakes surrounding the game, his charges had been lining up in a 4-2-3-1 configuration ever since the 2006 FIFA World Cup. That has all changed in the last three matches, however, although France’s new 4-3-3 approach has hardly seduced the critics yet either.

At the root of the tactical shift lies the withdrawal of defensive midfielder Lassana Diarra, a certain starter for the last two years, and the critics might do well to cast their minds back to four years ago, when Djibril Cisse suffered a broken leg in a warm-up match against China PR. With the striker suddenly out of his plans, Domenech switched from 4-4-2 to 4-2-3-1 – and promptly took his team to the Final.

The omens, therefore, are good, but the changes have also left players needing to forge new understandings, particularly on the wings. Patrice Evra used to work in tandem with Thierry Henry and now must learn to function with Florent Malouda and Franck Ribery, for example, while on the right Bacary Sagna and Yoann Gourcuff are desperately trying to get to know each other. The new system likewise introduces an element of doubt at right forward, with probable starter Sidney Govou facing competition from Mathieu Valbuena and Nicolas Anelka.

There is a law in France making it an offence to bring historical monuments into question, but it is one that Domenech has shown no inclination to apply to his own squad. Indeed, having given Henry the captaincy following Patrick Vieira’s struggles with injury, the former France Under-21 coach recently took the armband back and appointed Evra skipper. Domenech travelled to Spain to meet with ‘Titi’ in April and informed him that as he would not be a starter in South Africa, he could no longer carry on as captain.

It was a harsh message, but one that the 1998 FIFA World Cup and EURO 2000 winner understood fully. “Yes, the coach came to see me in Barcelona,” he said. “He told me I won’t be starting at the World Cup and I accepted that. It’s quite normal as I finished the season not playing for Barcelona.”

Placed in the spotlight by his sudden promotion, meanwhile, Evra has been rewarded for six years of loyal service to Les Bleus. A jovial figure away from the pitch and a talented and combative presence on it, the Manchester United left-back looks to have all the ingredients of a capable leader.

New attitude?
It did not take long for tongues to start wagging in the wake of France’s poor showing in Switzerland and Austria two years ago, and certain players were singled out for having been too individualistic. They have paid a heavy price since. “I had to make my choice based on criteria that aren’t necessarily the most obvious,” said Domenech as he announced his initial list of 30 players, admitting that sporting performance was just one of many considerations.

His squad have now been together since meeting up in Tignes on 18 May, and the players look to be bonding well. That has helped them on the pitch too, except perhaps during their friendly against Tunisia, and overall a promising team spirit appears to be emerging. “We live together and die together,” was the leitmotiv of the France squad in 2006 – and it is a phrase that has no doubt cropped up more than once between the players over the past week.

Key men winning fitness races

Though the headlines in recent weeks have been dominated by high-profile players missing out on their country’s 23-man squads or being ruled out by last-gasp injuries, a host of others have beaten the odds to drag themselves back into the mix ahead of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™. FIFA.com takes a closer look at just some of these returning heroes.

Welcome boost for Low
Denied the services of such influential figures as Michael Ballack, Rene Adler, Christian Traesch and Heiko Westermann through injury, Germany coach Joachim Low must have been wondering who was going to drop out next. However, Die Nationalmannschaft supremo has received a timely fillip in the shape of Stuttgart’s Sami Khedira. Khedira, whose hard work in recovering from a knee ligament injury picked up in Bundesliga action in March negated the need for surgical intervention, is expected to play a key role for his country alongside fellow midfield man Bastian Schweinsteiger.

Spain also had their fair share of scares in the months preceding South Africa 2010, with world-class players such as Andres Iniesta, Cesc Fabregas and Fernando Torres all in serious danger of missing out for the European champions. Coach Vicente del Bosque, however, will have been heartened by the trio’s returns in La Roja’s recent friendlies, with Iniesta, Fabregas and Torres coming back against Saudi Arabia, Korea Republic and Poland respectively.

Fellow favourites Brazil were made to sweat over Kaka and Luis Fabiano, meanwhile, with the key figures in last year’s FIFA Confederations Cup triumph both struggling with muscular problems late in the domestic season. Having needed intensive treatment to return to normal training, the duo seem set to play integral roles for A Seleção once more, with Kaka in particular looking considerably sharper during the friendly against Tanzania than at many stages of an injury-plagued campaign with Real Madrid.

Never give up
The efforts of two further players also deserve a special mention, with Portugal’s Brazil-born defender Pepe making a phenomenal recovery since tearing right-knee ligaments in December 2009 in order to form part of coach Carlos Queiroz’s plans. And Japanese keeper Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi, a veteran of two FIFA World Cups, has somehow forced his way back into Takeshi Okada’s squad after breaking a leg in September 2009.

France, world champions in 1998 and runners-up at Germany 2006, had been concerned by a series of injuries to talismanic defender William Gallas. His place in Raymond Domenech’s final 23 in doubt, the Arsenal centre-half recovered in time to join the squad’s pre-tournament training camp in Tignes and earned a spot at the expense of Real Madrid midfielder Lassana Diarra.

England’s Gareth Barry will have been on tenterhooks too, having been hit by an ankle injury late in the Premier League season. Yet such is his importance to the shape of coach Fabio Capello’s team, he has been given the chance to continue his fitness battle on South African soil and should be ready for the Three Lions’ second Group C encounter.

Raising a nation’s hopes
The list of players to have overcome fitness problems continues with Argentina goalkeeper Sergio Romero, who battled back from a two-month spell on the sidelines to reclaim the No1 jersey in La Albiceleste’s last friendly against Canada. Nicklas Bendtner of Arsenal and Denmark, who led the Danish Dynamite line with aplomb during qualifying, is also back in normal training after a month spent shaking off a groin complaint.

Along similar lines have been the timely recoveries of Algeria’s Nadir Belhadj, Edgar Barreto of Paraguay, Chile’s Claudio Bravo, David Suazo of Honduras, Serbia’s Nemanja Vidic, South Africa’s Surprise Moriri and Slovakia’s Martin Skrtel, who are all crucial members of their country’s FIFA World Cup contingents. There were also brief scares surrounding Italy playmaker Andrea Pirlo and Uruguayan hotshot Diego Forlan, though both are now in line to appear in their countries’ opening clashes.

That said, though these stories have ended happily, fans across the world are still crossing their fingers that Côte d’Ivoire striker Didier Drogba and the Netherlands’ Arjen Robben can appear at Planet Football’s greatest spectacle. Chelsea hitman Drogba fractured an arm in his side’s friendly against Japan, though there are signs he may play some part in the Ivorians’ Group G opener against Portugal on 15 June.

Bayern Munich wide-man Robben, meanwhile, has stayed behind in Europe for frantic treatment on a serious muscular injury. And on the evidence of his performances in Bayern’s run to the UEFA Champions League final, a tournament without the Dutchman’s thrilling wing play would certainly be the poorer for it.