Nicolas Anelka enjoyed his match against the Republic of Ireland.
Let’s take a more in-depth look at all of the assorted chicanery surrounding the France v. Ireland WC qualifying playoff match, shall we (sorry, Phil!)? There was more than enough news-making activity in the days leading up to the match, and that trend would appear to be continuing. A few days ahead of the match at Croke Park, Ireland defender Richard Dunne decided to to announce to the world that France would be incapable of playing from behind due to the incompetence of Raymond Domenech. While Dunne was correct in thinking that most fans and players for Les Bleus do not care for the gaffer, perhaps it was unwise for him to ignore the pleas of his own gaffer to avoid distractions ahead of the match.
News came from the other side of the pitch as well, as a story circulated regarding a “misunderstanding” between French and Irish politicians that almost set off an international incident. However, despite the widespread promulgation of the story, few people noticed that the address at the bottom of the letter from the Consulat General de France was listed as “12-24 Rue des Blageur” which translates as “12-24 Street of Jokers.” Guess everyone (except me, obviously) missed the joke.
USA Today claimed that Richard Dunne helped to calm things down. Looks calm, doesn't he?
We know what happened during the match, of course. A 72nd-minute strike from Nicolas Anelka dashed the hopes of the home crowd, as the Irish never looked like getting back into the match after the deflating goal. But do we know everything that happened? There was a bit of argy-bargy on the pitch immediately after the end of the match, with Lass Diarra apparently exchanging words with Keith Andrews, leading to a full confrontation between the teams. Ireland coach Giovanni Trapattoni made it quite clear that he felt the situation was instigated by Lass, noting that he could not repeat what the latter had said as “it was very bad.” Despite the apparently devastating (sic) nature of what was said, cooler heads prevailed as the sides were separated by the match officials and the team captains. Perhaps more importantly with respect to the return leg, there are many individuals calling for Trapattoni to reconsider his stance on the inclusion of Andy Reid (no, not the NFL coach) on the national side.
BONUS GALLIC-RELATED VIOLENCE!
When France faces its former colonies, we get the booing of the national anthem. When those colonies face one another, we get bursts of violence. When Algeria and Egypt faced off in another WC qualifying match, Egyptian fans pelted the bus of the Algerian players before the match, leading to injuries to 3 players. After the 2-0 victory for Egypt, fans of both teams clashed in Marseille, leading to the deployment of 500 officers to restore order. In order to really send home the point that they did not care for their fellow North Africans, Algerian fans attacked the offices of an Egyptian telecom in Algiers, smashing windows and destroying office equipment. The victory actually leaves the nations tied atop Group C, and therefore they will meet again on Wednesday in the Sudan in order to determine which of them will come away with the last qualifying spot for the African nations. That’s the same day that the second leg of the France-Ireland match will be played, so there is likely to be either some celebratory or disconsolate shenanigans going on in France.
You just think Dunney’s angry because you can’t tell what he’s saying. Luckily, my lipreaders were on the scene:
“Err, don’t tell anyone, Lass, but I’d like to know where you got your jogbra.”
Reid might be nice guy to have as a spark off the bench, and the guy is certainly on form at the moment, but the Irish side genuinely suffers from a near-complete lack of creativity in the midfield. In short, they miss the pitifully craven Stephen Ireland. Maybe Reid can provide some of that flash, but I doubt he’ll be given the chance.
Ireland needed the scoreless draw here, they didn’t get it, and they’ll miss WC 2010, despite going undefeated in their group. Of course the usual charges of FIFA saving everyone watching a boring Irish side will probably be lobbed at that comment, and those aren’t without merit, but they seem rather to miss the point. FIFA’s “system” is ridiculous, and Ireland shouldn’t have been in this position to begin with. Their not rising to the occasion vs. Les Bleus is their fault, but their being put in this unfortunate position is FIFA’s.
@phil – for what it’s worth, I agree with you. I would definitely rather see this Ireland side in the WC at the expense of a shoddy team like NZ or SA. Plus, I think Shay Given is just fantastic.
Like I said in my last post, could we not just give that Greece/Ukraine spot to the team who doesn’t win elsewhere? Though I must admit, I’d prefer Bosnia over RoI. But the Irish would be my #2 pick for that bonus spot!
Or maybe it could be like March Madness… have a play-in game two days before the World Cup kicks off.
Just think how boring international soccer would be without the legacy of colonialism.
@ Goat
Think about how bad French football would be without the legacy of colonialism
Did the Irish seem very Italian to anybody else in their mannerisms in regards to complaining about every call/no call
Footballers complaining about calls is hardly a trait specific to any one national side.
[...] Manning receives the ultimate compliment. Melt Your Face Off: Time for another Weekend at Bettmans. Unprofessional Foul: Stuff about the Ireland-France soccer game thats fit (or not) to print. Hugging Harold Reynolds: [...]
Agreed, but it was excessive. Italian excessive even. Not even playing to the whistle, but giving up on balls in order to complain. I am not a fan of Trapattoni’s influence on what has the potential to be a much more competitive team.
Yes, the world anxiously waits the opinion of a fourth rate defender playing on a 5th rate team… why not ask a canadian soccer player for his opinion?
Domenech took his team to the WC finals where they lost in PK, so I think he should tell everyone to Maradona him.
he got blasted years ago when he called Ribery instead of Guily or Clichy or some never-was. Seems like that was a good call.
And when he brought back the old fart Barthez for the 2006 world cup he was again blasted for not using Gregore jacquet I believe…. again, his pick ended up going to PK in teh Final.
Im not saying he is a good coach but he was getting blasted for his good decisions and he went to the Finals.
The italian coach who WON that damn final is getting blasted in Italy for the past 2 years and HE WON the last cup.
So please stop it with the Domenech storylines, the new french generation of offensive french players are NOT the same caliber as the 90s teams.
As for an irishman criticizing another coach, at least the french team has a french coach, the british teams dont know enough so they have to import italians.
Traps showed them the whining and moaning pretty good.
Any day now, they will master the dive.
Their transformation will be complete when they are fitted for new kits and vaginas.
Ned, what you’ve just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.
Is it just me, or does Anelka look awfully twisty and bendy in that first picture (like, unnaturally so)? And in the second picture it looks like they’re about to have a particularly passionate make-out session.
BTW, my demand for more cute puppies with soccer-related items has gone unheeded. Boo.
Man, I totally forgot to implement that. And will continue to do so tomorrow. Sorry.
There have also been no international games since July 2006, further proving Ned’s point.
Clementona’s remark re: French colonial legacy in football is on-point. But, uh, Le Pen would like it back.
Lo Pan > Le Pen
u75, you suck.