Then fall, Caesar!

It is said that when Julius Caesar was assassinated by the conspirators, he was stabbed 23 times. Well, it was that same number of French players that defiantly walked off the training field on Sunday – each acting to take another stab at the withering body of French football.

It was an act that was symbolic of a World Cup week that was ripe with rumours of unbridled rebellion in the squads of two superpower football nations: France and England.

French coach, Raymond Domenech – an alleged ‘perennial space cadet’ who has been rumoured as allowing his distrust of Scorpios to influence his squad selection process - has been a wanted man in France for quite some time.

Never one of the population or media’s favourite, it seemed that this World Cup would be nothing but a glorified “walking of the plank.”

Doomed with a mediocre squad and burdened with unrealistic expectations, Domenech’s team appeared disharmonious and the subsequent tension dramatically boiled over at halftime of their loss to Mexico - when striker Nicholas Anelka unleashed a foul-mouthed tirade in the direction of his coach.

The French Football Federation subsequently sent the Chelsea player home, thus setting the scene for one of the most explosive acts in World Cup history.

In defiance to the Anelka decision, the players stormed off their training pitch – leaving a solitarily forlorn Domenech to address the media.

So is this what it came down to? Mutiny?

As my father was born in France, Les Blues have always been one of my favourite teams (behind the incomparable Socceroos, of course). I have found that their turmoil this week has been quite simply disturbing.

Actually - more disturbing is the fact that Domenech’s mother rang French talkback radio to vent her emotion and stick up for her 58 year old son.

Surely this whole fiasco has made French greats Michel Platini and Zinedine Zidane shudder with disgust. Players must always remember that pulling on the jersey of your national team should never be undervalued and depreciated – no matter how displeased you are with the coach or national soccer body.

What the French players did was the spoilt behaviour of millionaires who have forgotten what is important.

Well on your way, boys – back to your adoring clubs that hold you by the hand, pay you bucket loads of cash, and whisper in your ear:

“It’s alright... you were right... such a great player... yeh, it was all that nasty coach’s fault... oh and the FFF... the club is bigger than country... do you want another Aston Martin?”

I hope the players know that their behaviour has indeed let down an entire nation – the front pages of every French newspaper showcase this vocal public backlash.

Proud and humble national players don’t act as they did. They don’t anger their fans when their fans are in fact their countrymen.

In the movie Monkey Business, Groucho Marx asked:

“How many Frenchmen can’t be wrong?”

Cole Porter thought 50 million... but I think it’s closer to 65 now.

Mmmmmmm... venting isn’t too bad after all.
Maybe Mrs Domenech was onto something.

In England’s case, the situation was thankfully diffused before it mirrored that of the French disaster – but it still exhibited the worrying undercurrent of dissent that is present in the English changerooms.

After yet another poor on-field result in the form of a goalless draw with Algeria, word of a player mutiny heightened in the embattled English camp when defender John Terry publicly criticized the team’s selection process.

His primary criticism of Italian coach Fabio Capello was his non-selection of winger Joe Cole, but it was widely rumoured in the British press that this was just one of many grievances amongst the English squad.

In any case, it seemed that Terry lacked the majority of the players support and his decision to go public meant that it was solely he who had broken the team rules and slammed the team’s composition to the media.

I actually commend John Terry for the bravery shown in his actions.

For I have seen how the fiery Capello has militantly run his teams in the past – not tolerating disorder of any kind and overseeing his teams with a staunch upper lip and inflexible will.

He is a scary, scary man... and Terry must have had a lot of balls.

Is it possible that Diego Maradona is the perfect coach?

Long criticized for his supposed lack of coaching ability, Maradona may just be the ideal coach for the Argentinean squad in which he has assembled.

The Argentineans may have struggled during their qualifying process but they have strived during their first three games of the tournament – procuring for themselves a feeling of unity and belief.

I believe that one of the key elements of their glittering performances is the grandioso presence of Maradona.

Constantly it is the coach that takes the limelight away from his players and subsequently, the majority of the pressure – gifting the players a welcoming sense of comfort and freedom.

Sure, he may be friends with most of the players; hug and kiss each of them before, during and after the game; and prove a distraction with his enigmatic touchline behaviour - but he has a passion and genuine love for his squad. And it may just be contagious.

Ultimately the World Cup is one of the most condensed – and thus, explosive – media circuses ever imaginable... and Maradona may prove to be just the ringleader that is required.

Results:

South Africa defeated France 2-1:
Teams that are fighting with each other rarely beat others.
And this proved the case when a disastrous France finished their World Cup campaign in further disgrace, meekly losing to the host nation. Down two goals at half-time (in the form of strikes to South Africa’s Khumalo and Mphela), France also found themselves limited to 10 men – after playmaker Yoann Gourcuff led with an elbow whilst attempting a header. Although Florent Malouda managed to score in the 70^th minute, it did little to alleviate French embarrassment as their World Cup nightmare finally came to an end.
Unfortunately for South Africa, despite their entertaining win, they were also unable to qualify for progression – becoming the first host nation in World Cup history to fail to do so. 

Uruguay defeated Mexico 1-0:
The Uruguayans managed to top Group A after a Luis Suarez header before halftime proved to be the only goal of the game. But the slim loss was still sufficient for the Mexicans – as they also secured their passage to the next round, due to the South Africa v France result. 

Argentina defeated Greece 2-0:
Although not needing a result to progress, the Argentineans left it until late in the game to secure a victory. Two goals in the last 15 minutes, through Martin DeMichelis and veteran Martin Palermo, meant that the nation qualify for the next round as the in-form team of the competition.

South Korea drew with Nigeria 2-2:
It was the South Koreans that ensured progression – but only after a tense final 20 minutes. The Nigerians took the lead after 12 minutes, courtesy of Kalu Uche. But the South Koreans fought back with goals on either side of halftime – through Lee Jung-Soo and Park Chu-Young.
Although Nigerian Yakubu’s penalty goal set up a frantic finale, it was South Korea that was able to hold on and warm the heart of their fans back home.