All In The Game:FRENCH MEDIA reaction to the refusal of their squad to train on Sunday following Nicolas Anelka's expulsion.
L’Equipe:
“A rebellion? No, a caprice. A strike? No, cowardliness. Don’t deceive yourself. The republican solidarity our players showed the world yesterday is an illusion. “The [football federation] has created a farce; it’s froth, a stink bomb that keeps on exploding.
“Patrice Evra has once and for all shown he has muddled up the role of captain with that of a gang leader. Raymond Domenech, by lending a hand to this masquerade and reading out the players’ statement, has missed his final opportunity to show some style and courage.”
Le Parisien:
“Every day, Les Bleus push back the frontiers of the unacceptable. This band of spoilt children, left free to do what they like by their entire hierarchy, has no limit, no sense of duty so close to the match against South Africa.
“To have the worst football team at the World Cup was already unbearable. To also have the most stupid is intolerable . . . The mutiny at Knysna will forever remain the Waterloo of French football.”
Le Figaro:
“It is collective suicide … the French team has heaped ridicule on itself in front of the world yesterday at Knysna. The field of dreams became the set of a living nightmare. It was almost hallucinatory. It’s a psychodrama that will go down in the history of the World Cup. The French team has been reduced to ashes.”
Libération:
“We take them to be role models for kids who have lost their way in life, but in reality they are just bling-bling traders for a sport which yesterday lost a lot of credit in France.”
Le Progrès de Lyon:
“They should have contented themselves with being bad on the pitch and arrogant off it as they already have been for a few years.
Honestly, they amaze us. No doubt they can do even worse.”
Les Dernières Nouvelles d’Alsace:
“In a certain way France has already made a success of the 2010 World Cup. History will remember only two teams from this World Cup: the winning country and also perhaps France. Les Bleus have shown great mastery of a worldwide scandal. A triumph!”
Logo: Goddess of victory?
REMEMBER NIKE put up a giant Mount Rushmore-type billboard in London before the World Cup? Well, they’ve taken it down, which is probably just as well – but they insist it was only due to stay up until after England’s second game.
The faces that feature? Theo Walcott (left out), Rio Ferdinand (home injured), James Milner (booked and taken off after 30 minutes against US) and Wayne Rooney (where do we start?).
This hiccup follows that Nike “Write the Future” TV ad that starred Rooney, Walcott, Drogba (broken elbow), Cannavaro (three words: Paraguay, New and Zealand), Ribery (uh oh), Iniesta (taken off in the defeat by Switzerland) and Fabregas (never left the bench). Then there was Ronaldinho who, like yourself, is watching the World Cup on telly. At least Cristiano Ronaldo gave them a little lift yesterday.
Tressed out: Valderrama not enjoying World Cup
REMEMBER CARLOS Valderrama, the big-haired Colombian midfielder? Well, it's good to hear he's loving every minute of the action in South Africa.
"This World Cup has been very bad. A disaster. Football-wise, there is nothing new. Bad matches and few goals. The teams play bad, they are very defensive, there is not a single player who breaks the monotony."
The coaches?
"They are afraid to lose. They are putting football into a hole. We only see defensive teams, who play all in the same system."
And with that he drifted off to sleep.
Talking points: New Zealand press put win in perspective
THEY’RE STILL pinching themselves in New Zealand after that draw with Italy.
The NZ Herald’s Michael Brown is as gobsmacked as anyone by the sounds of it.
“Take a look at the points table,” he wrote. “Look again. Sitting in second, equal with Italy, are New Zealand.
“Little, old New Zealand with just 25 professional footballers – Italy has 3,541.
“A country which had played just four World Cup matches before this morning drew with one which has won four World Cup titles. Crazy. Remember this day, and keep the points table.
“History is a wonderful thing.”
Cool reception: Baseball blows whistle on vuvuzelas
IN AN attempt to boost the attendance at their baseball game against Tampa Bay Rays in Miami at the weekend the Florida Marlins, inspired by the World Cup, decided it would be a good idea to give away vuvuzela-type horns to the first 15,000 fans through the gate. The resulting cacophony was . . . well, you know yourself.
“It was absolutely outstanding,” said Marlins president David Samson, but other tIN AN attempt to boost the attendance at their baseball game against Tampa Bay Rays in Miami at the weekend the Florida Marlins, inspired by the World Cup, decided it would be a good idea to give away vuvuzela-type horns to the first 15,000 fans through the gate. The resulting cacophony was . . . well, you know yourself.an the kids who got to blow the blasted things, he was alone in his delight.
“This isn’t soccer. I know the World Cup is going on, but this is baseball. That was the worst handout or giveaway I’ve ever been a part of in baseball,” said Dan Uggla, the Marlins second baseman who was one of several players and umpires who wore earplugs.
“There’s cool things and there’s very non-cool things – that’s a non-cool thing,” said Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon, while Marlins centre fielder Cody Ross was left reaching for the Aspirin. “I couldn’t tell you how awful it was. I had a headache in, like, the third inning. I couldn’t hear anybody when I was sitting on the bench. Please don’t do it again.”
The Marlins lost but they’d have been cheered by the crowd of 23,242, 7,000 above their average.
