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ESPNsoccernet: World Cup 2010 | |
France captain Patrice Evra claims that coach Raymond Domenech dropped him from the squad for "no valid reason'' and denied him the chance to apologise to the French public.
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Evra is furious that the departing coach stripped him of the captaincy after a protest by the squad over the expulsion of Nicolas Anelka and, after the 2-1 defeat to South Africa, claimed that "France will know the truth.''
"Tonight it's time for the big apology toward the ... French people, because I share the pain of all these French people,'' Evra said. "What hurts even more is that this apology should have been made yesterday, but my coach stopped me doing it as a captain.
"There is a cause for all this failure, several things will come out. Then, if people don't want to forgive, at least they will know the truth.''
Domenech criticised his players for refusing to train, calling the protest "an aberration, an imbecility, a stupidity without name,'' but Evra says the reasons for such a radical stance will come out in the next few days.
"I will say everything I went through as captain,'' he said. "The whole of France needs to have an explanation for this disaster. It's not the time to give them, but I will personally give them.
"What I went through, just the truth, as quickly as possible, whether it's in a press conference or an interview. I have nothing to hide. The French team doesn't belong to anyone, it belongs to all of these French people. I think that the time is for suffering, and it is a sincere suffering.''