ANELKA KICKED OFF FRENCH SQUAD

Associated Press

Forward Nicolas Anelka was kicked off the French squad this morning after refusing to apologize for verbally insulting coach Raymond Domenech.

Anelka allegedly made obscene comments towards the French coach during halftime of the 2-0 loss to Mexico this past Thursday.

“Faced by the refusal of the player to publicly apologize, he [FFF president Jean-Pierre Escalettes] took the decision in total agreement with the coach and the official members of the delegation present in Knysna to exclude Nicolas Anelka from the squad,” the FFF said in a statement. “He will leave the French team camp this evening.”

It’s not like Anelka had performed above and beyond during France’s first two matches. He played with an extremely casual attitude in the Holy Grail tournament that comes around once every four years.

“What bothers me is Nicolas Anelka’s performance in the first half. I saw a player strolling … strolling in the World Cup!” France defender Brixente Lizarazu said. “He wasn’t aggressive, wasn’t interested in the game. Domenech took him off at the break, but should have done so before. You shouldn’t play in a selfish manner, you have to show you’re up for it.”

At this point in the tournament, France needs to beat host country South Africa on Tuesday by several goals, and Mexico and Uruguay to end in a draw to have a shot at moving out of group play.