I just watched the replay of the match and I was switching support between Bafana Bafana and Les Bleus (the 7th African Team). Given all their recent troubles, watching France play today was painful. I sympathise with them in their decision to rebel against Domenech, because they stood up for something that was wrong and couldn't hide the rifts no more. Some of my FB friends think the squad behaved like a bunch of rich, spoilt brats but I see this as standing up to the Plantation - who among those teams with all their internal beefs would dare stand up to their coach and say screw you? And screw you to the country's football federation? And risk crashing out of the World Cup?
England's former captain, John Terry had a press conference on Sunday telling the press about how the players wanted to tell Fabio Capello how they felt - the meedja eedjits went wild with it and John Terry was seen as plotting a rebellion. By Monday morning England's acting captain, Frank Lampard, was re-assuring the meedja there were no divisions in the team and Wayne Rooney and Steven Gerrard were quickly distancing themselves from JT, yet they'd be named as wanting to 'have a word with the coach'. Fabio Capello swiftly crushed all thoughts of dissension within the ranks...As they say in England, no bottle lads, no bottle!
Back to France, Anelka should not have been sent home, the FFF is ridiculous, but good riddance to Domenech, he was an arrogant, rigid little man. He wouldn't even shake SA's Coach Parreira hand at the end. It totally sucked watching one of my fav teams play a rubbish game and allow themselves to get beaten, I kept hoping for a comeback like they'd suddenly score three goals and silence the crickets and crackers. But that they were beaten by South Africa is not a bad thing at all, because the hosts bowed out with their heads held high. Maaad, maaad props to the boys who have become men after this 3 match feat. I'm sure next World Cup they will go far.
But what shall be the fate of Les Bleus? Is Patrice Evra going to lose his captaincy and could the whole squad be dropped when Laurent Blanc takes over? What kind of reception will they get in France? And Domenech? Does it matter to the public that the team is majority Black, of African and Caribbean descent? I don't want to know the answer to the last qsn, I'm sure the French interwebs and Twitter have plenty to say...*SMH*
Thierry Henry giving the ball to Mphela
pic Adnan Abidi/Reuters jacked from The Guardian
Here's a commentary from The Guardian.
9 comments:
Ayobaness for real! They played well and I wish they'd just gotten one more goal! Khune shoulda been on that pitch!!!
Les Bleus left the tournament on Sunday when they refused to train, it was a PR look, but the man dem were long on the plane.
Nuff raspeck to dem, Engeerrland could learn a fing or two - they're like silly boys too scared to fess up to the Head Teacher when JT grassed them out, now he looks like the baddie. No bottle f'real, blud! I don't fink they'll go beyond round 2, but big up, big up to the Three Lions. Massive!!!
True ting, #Fra had already left, their hearts weren't in it 'cept maybe Malouda. Do you think they should have done the decent thing and rolled over so SA wld go through?
Engerrland are thru, I felt sorry for them tho'. Everybody wanted them to win so badly it was pitiful. And dem boys are coming home on Sun if they face Germany or the Black Stars. Trust!
You two are funny.
The whole French debacle makes me think about that Thierry Henry hand ball wahala. We call that thing nemesis in Lagos. The Irish were hard done by....No pity for the rich Africans and Carib French men preening on the benches and pitch though Domenech needs stuffing.
I am hoping Ghana gets through and show England. They think its all over it is now....Ghana need to get some aggression though
Ebele
Wsuuup Ebele!
LOL, Henry's Hand will forever be thrown in his face, but FIFA allowed it. Yes I'm biased towards Les Bleus, but FIFA should have made up a 33rd place for the Irish bec that would have been the fairest.
So you like the majority of my friends who have no sympathy C'mon y'gotta see there's a deeper politics at heart. This had been brewing for years and had it not been for Zidane and the other players in 06, France may never have made it to the finals.
All this time things were brewing, why did no one pick it up? Why could Domenech not contain this? He fanned the flames of resistance by benching Malouda in the 1st match and sending Anelka home. When the Junior Minister of Sport went to SA at the start of The Games, did she not detect something was up?
Nah the players revolt is only the last course of action in a very long episode. Over the coming days we'll get to know more of how things went down and we can then decide whether they're just 'spoilt, rich men with no sense of national pride' or 'rebels with a just cause'.
Ghana are through, but they face USA. I hope they spank the Yanks! Trouble with Ghana is their shooting, everything is layed up nicely till the shooting then it all goes wonky. They need to get that right and they will certainly be a force to be reckoned with.
England scraped thru and now face Germany. I imagine they must be quaking in their boots. If they do the impossible and beat Germany, they face an even tougher opponent which could be Argentina. I doubt the Germans will be defeated, the dream ends on Sunday.
I just got this from my friend's FB status:
'This world cup has turned out like World War 2! The French surrendered early, the USA arrive last minute and the English are left to fight the Germans! - Intrepid reporter TMSN.'
Except in this war the Germans could very well win.
LOL.
Ssup KW,
Yeah World Cup football is politics on grass....
I am feeling England to go some distance this time round. Germany do not look invincible and England may start doing something. The Germans might go home and England can progress. Wishful thinking? Nah! Its more like compassion for the underdog
Ebele
Hey Ebele
Underdogs they may be, but England are the over-confident, over-rated underdogs. If England win there'll be neverending triumphalist war-talk & English superiority in yer face, we'll never hear end of it, Lawwwd help us! For that I hope the Germans win.
Listen blud, listen, it's been 65 years since the war ended nobody cares about it, yea.
Germany's changed alot, so has Britain if dere's rivalry it's being stirred up by the gutter press. And it's onesided, is Engerrrland a serious footy rival to the Gerries dem? No! They're the underdogs so you need to get behind de man dem. Three Lions praap, praap, praap! C'mon sis.
D'you see the lineup of the Gerries in the Daily Mail? Disgusting, but unsurprising. Them people do fings 4 shock value, inn'it?
Jay
Because I luv you like dat, Imma dismiss those first two paragraphs of your last comment as the childish rantings of a fan. Stanning at its finest!
31 mins to kickoff, if things go as I say, I may be seeing you off at Heathrow to welcome the Humbled Lions, come 5 o'clock. If not, next wk, your Three Cubs WILL be @ Heathrow. Trust!
Co-sign on you last paragraph.
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