Nice Premium: Frédéric Arnault, what is your position on the events shaking “the blue house”?
Frédéric Arnault: As a supporter, I am truly saddened by the turn of events. Having experienced such competitions, I wonder how one can waste this tremendous opportunity to play in the World Cup. Every player on the planet dreams of participating! The greater good must take precedence over personal goals.
NP: Players deciding not to train—what does that inspire in you?
FA: It’s unacceptable! At such a level of competition and national representation, it’s shocking. Especially since all top-level athletes know how detrimental missing a training session can be. If you add to that the psychological trauma experienced by the entire team, Tuesday’s performance will be even more difficult. At the very least, it will be a chance to verify that they have some guts!
NP: Did you imagine this could happen, and do you believe this is far from being over?
FA: I would never have envisioned such a “mess” not only during this competition but also at the highest levels of the federation. Having been a member of the FFF for 27 seasons, and being someone who didn’t hesitate to speak up, it seemed impossible to imagine such a cacophony both in managing people and in communication, internally and externally. If everything needs to be laid bare, it would be best to carry out a thorough cleaning, usually reserved for spring, during the summer. Everyone agrees that tongues will loosen after elimination or after the last match, whatever it may be. I believe that even a World Cup title wouldn’t prevent a complete reset. I would have liked the coach, so disavowed by the group, to take the decision to say, “Since you refuse my training session, I have nothing more to do with you!” and leave his position. Anyway, that’s what’s planned in a few days, that’s what everyone has been wishing for 4 years. But there he would have gained points and shown character. I even think his popularity rating would have made a significant leap forward.
NP: Have you ever experienced a similar situation in your career?
FA: Never, and especially not for such reasons. But last season, elite referees also challenged federal power over an issue that wasn’t within their scope. And there too, the federation did not show authority or firmness. It doesn’t bode well.
NP: In your opinion, what are the main reasons for this resounding failure?
FA: All of France—supporters, media, football leaders—have been opposing Raymond Domenech since the summer of 2008. One day, the players were bound to dive into the gap that had become wide open. The coach was the ideal escape route for the players to absolve themselves of potential poor results. As long as he selected them, they supported him to be on the trip to South Africa, but with the poor results—if not disgraceful—recorded, it became so easy to make him the scapegoat by openly contesting him. Even if Anelka may appear as merely the expression of the internal tension that prevailed, let’s not forget this isn’t his first outburst. An Italian proverb says, “The wolf loses its fur but not its vice.” In French, we would say, “A leopard cannot change its spots.”
NP: Finally, how will you experience this last match against South Africa?
FA: I won’t experience it… At most, I will watch it as I have watched the matches of teams that did not concern me! In my mind, I’m already in the next season, hoping for a new coach, this time a “boss” of “professional” players who will have to uphold the values of the “FRANCE” jersey.
