Monday, May 29, 2006
FEATURE-Soccer-World-France have learned from their 2002 failure
Reuters
By Pierre Serisier
PARIS, May 30 - Four years ago, France suffered
one of the most dramatic failures in World Cup history when the
1998 title holders were eliminated in the first round without
winning a match or scoring a goal.
The setback, huge enough to cost coach Roger Lemerre his
job, had the effect of a psycohological landslide on the French
squad.
It took months for Les Bleus to come to terms with the
defeat and it is still far from sure that today's team has
completely recovered from the trauma.
After losing the opening match 1-0 to newcomers Senegal in
Seoul, the then world and European champions were held to a
goalless draw by Uruguay before a 2-0 defeat to Denmark sent
them packing.
The shock undoubtedly triggered long-term damage to the side
many considered were en route for another triumphant campaign.
But with the benefit of hindsight, it can be seen that
although the elimination was highly unexpected, it was not
perhaps such a total surprise.
The players confessed afterwards that the World Cup in Asia
had turned into a nightmare well before the tournament was
kicked off.
Between 2000 and 2002, the French led a life which had more
in common in some ways with those of movie actors or rock stars
than what is usually expected from soccer players.
For two years, the squad training headquarter of
Clairefontaine nested in a quiet forest in the Paris suburbs was
the place to see and be seen in.
Every meeting before a match turned into an extravanganza
where sponsors, photographers, TV crews and VIPs craved for
pictures, autographs, interviews or the simple privilege of just
seeing their heroes.
"It was just unbelievable," striker Thierry Henry said
later. "It was like we were caught in a whirlwind. We were not
prepared properly to play in the 2002 World Cup.
"People expected too much from us and there was no way for
us to give them what they wanted."
TRENDY CLOTHES
Around 1,000 fans gathered at the Roissy Airport to hail the
players on the day they took off for Asia.
Dressed in fashionable clothes, wearing trendy smoked
glasses and flashy wrist watches, the French were playing an act
more than they were heading for the most compelling soccer
competition.
To make things worse, Seoul was not the place they would
have chosen to stay.
Their luxurious five-star hotel on a hill from where you
could see the Han River swiftly became a kind of bunker.
About 300 hundred journalists attended training sessions and
the players soon appeared aloof, giving as little time as they
could at press conferences.
They stayed by themselves and started to get bored.
"There was nothing to do there," confessed striker Djibril
Cisse. "We hung out inside the hotel just waiting for the next
day, for the next match. Going downtown was out of question."
In such a dull atmosphere, France would have welcomed the
boost and influence of a charismatic leader.
But unfortunately, former captain Didier Deschamps and
influential sweeper Laurent Blanc had retired in 2000 and were
badly missed.
Neither veteran libero Marcel Desailly, nor talisman
playmaker Zinedine Zidane were the leading characters Les Bleus
needed.
To add salt of the wound, Zidane tore a thigh muscle during
a warm-up match against hosts South Korea less than a week
before France started the defence of their title.
The number 10 missed the first two games and returned for
the third, wearing a heavy bandage on his leg, but he was
clearly out of shape and it was too late to avoid the
humiliating defeat and exit.
"We have learned a lot from what happened there," Henry
said. "We are much more humble now. We realised that having the
best players in the world is not necessarily enough to win.
"You have to act like a team, to play like a team," he said.
After a lacklustre qualifying campaign, France are anything
but the favourites for the 2006 World Cup and this situation
suits coach Raymond Domenech.
"We will have to behave like a squad in which everyone is
pulling for everyone else.
"It's the only way to win the World Cup again," he said.
