The press, politicians, and public have raised many questions. Is their hotel too expensive? Should they be going? Will some face prison upon returning? Could they win? Are they French?
The team should not be written off following a 1–0 defeat to China in their final preparation match. In 1998, the French victory was preceded by a similar 1–0 defeat against Ivory Coast.
In 2006, France barely made it through the group phase before turning the tide with a surprise victory over Spain. They made it all the way to the final before losing to Italy. Not much was expected of them then.
Qualifying for the World Cup was not easy for France. Beaten by Serbia for the top spot in Group 7, France had to play Ireland for one of four remaining places. After drawing 1–1 in the away game, France beat Ireland 1–0 in the second match thanks to a goal by Thierry Henry reminiscent of Maradona’s famous “hand of God.”
Henry admitted he kept the ball in play with his hand before scoring. “If I hurt someone I’m sorry,” he wrote Henry on Twitter.
Demands by Ireland for a rematch where refused by FIFA.
Rumors of Tension and Selective Passing
Tension reigns within the squad, as does a distrust of coach Raymond Domenech. It has been said that star winger Franck Ribery would only pass the ball to certain teammates during the defeat against China and that Nicolas Anelka refused to pass the ball to Yoann Gourcuff in a friendly against Costa Rica.
Domenech has notably excluded top scorer Henry from the “A” team during France’s opening match against Uruguay on Friday.
Politicians Argue Over Luxury Hotel
The French squad does have one thing to look forward to in South Africa, a luxurious five-star hotel. In contrast with France, Spain chose university campus accommodation and the American team is staying on a farm.
Like other teams, the French team has undergone high-altitude training in the French Alps. The hotel will be paid for by FIFA but French politicians argued over it anyway. The French Sports Minister Rama Yade, unhappy with the expensive hotel, said in an interview on Radio J that the team should “dazzle us by its results rather than by its flashy hotels.”
Former France Star Backs Rivals
Not only is the government arguing over the team, the French public and former players also are failing to wholeheartedly support their squad.
Zinedine Zidane, the star of the victorious 1998 French selection, infamous for his assault on Marco Materazzi during the 2006 World Cup final, announced he would support his parent’s country Algeria.
Zidane will act as an adviser to the Algerian team in South Africa. The star was awarded the medal of national merit from Algerian dictator Abdelaziz Bouteflika and later appeared in an advertisement for a sponsor of the Algerian team.
When Algeria qualified for the World Cup in January, large crowds of French youths of North African origin took to the streets to celebrate.
Around 200 cars were burned, shops were vandalized and pillaged as youths fought with the police. An Algeria–France match could potentially spark violence.
France’s North African soccer fans have previously made a show of animosity against the French team despite members of their own communities playing a big role in French victories.
In 2008, Sports Minister Bernard Laporte threatened to call off matches after the French national anthem was jeered during a friendly against Tunisia near Paris. Anticipating the problem, officials had selected French-Tunisian singers to sing both anthems.
This did not help. After the match, Laporte suggested that France no longer play friendly matches against North African teams. President Nicolas Sarkozy got involved and demanded an investigation.
A similar incident took place during France–Algeria in 2001 (which was ended prematurely by fans rioting on the field) and during France–Morocco in 2007. The only French players not jeered during the match against Morocco where Muslim players Karim Benzema, Hatem Ben Arfa, Samir Nasri, Ribery and Anelka.
Muslim converts Ribery and Anelka have put their faith in the spotlight in secular France by engaging in Muslim prayer on the pitch before matches.
Black–Black–Black
The French press made a big deal of the diverse origin of the winning 1998 squad. Twelve years on, only 8 of 23 players are ethnically French.
The majority is of African origin from France’s former colonies and overseas territories, prompting some commentators to deride the team as “black-black-black.”
Several French chain stores and retailers have bet against a French victory by promising to reimburse TVs and other electronic goods if France wins.
According to a poll published in Le Parisien, only 19 percent of French people think they will win and only 2 percent of people worldwide predict a French victory.
Despite all of this, France boast numerous outstanding players who shine in their clubs including Florent Malouda, Ribery, Anelka, and goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.
Should they be able to put aside the off-field distractions and criticism and play well together, they may well silence detractors.
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