Wednesday, June 23, 2010

No bonuses for French players


France's players, who revolted against Coach Raymond Domenech and then exited in the first round of the World Cup, will not be accepting cash from lucrative marketing revenues generated by the squad. "We will not accept a single cent from sponsors. We will refuse all the bonuses," said France captain Patrice Evra.

Evra, whom Domenech dropped from the team for its 2-1 loss to South Africa, said he will not hold back on revealing the inside secrets of how team fell apart. "I share the pain of all France," he said. "Tonight is the time for apologies. It's an apology that could have been made yesterday, but I was banned from doing so by the coach."

Evra was one of the ringleaders of the players' strike on Sunday called to protest the expulsion of teammate Nicolas Anelka. "Now is not the time to settle scores," Evra said. "All of France will have the time to have explanations for this disaster. I will give them. I will talk about what has happened. I will tell the truth. I have nothing to hide."

France, which won the 1998 title and was runner-up in 2006, finished last in Group A woth losses to Mexico and South Africa and a scoreless tie with Uruguay. Evra defended the revolt: "Our pain wasn't exaggerated. We communicated our reasons for what happened. Tonight I was dropped from the team without a valid reason. These are difficult times."

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