France suspend shamed World Cup squad
Lauren Blanc suggestion to suspend all 23 World Cup squad members was accepted by the French Football Federation
Friday, 23, Jul 2010 04:37
by Sam Ross.
France's shamed World Cup squad have been suspended for the next international match following a suggestion from new national head coach Laurent Blanc.
All 23 squad members will miss France's international Friendly against Norway in Oslo on Wednesday August 11th.
Blanc recommended the idea in a meeting with the French Football Federation [FFF] on Friday. A statement on the federation's website read: "Blanc spoke to the Federal Council today and presented his staff and his sporting plan.
"He also proposed that, for the friendly match against Norway in Oslo on Wednesday 11 August, he would not select any of the of the 23 players who were officially chosen by the French Football Federation for the World Cup in South Africa. The Federal Council accepted this proposal."
Blanc, who was critical of France's 2010 World Cup campaign under former coach Raymond Domenech, took over as national head coach following their dismal display in South Africa that saw them leave embarrassing early with player boycotts and failure to win a single game.
The former Manchester United defender will announce his squad for the Norway game on August 5th.