© EuroFootball.com
France national team coach Laurent Blanc was surprised by the sanctions imposed on football players by the country's football federation (FFF).
The specialist could not understand why players like Nicolas Anelka, Franck Ribery, and others who caused turmoil at the World Cup were suspended by the FFF and will not be able to represent their country for some time. The first of them will miss up to eighteen matches, so they will most likely no longer play for the national team at all.
"I was surprised by the sanctions - one player (Patrice Evra) suspended for five matches, another (Ribery) for three, another (Jeremy Toulalan) for one, and Eric Abidal for none," Blanc said.
"It's strange because the commission was led by the federation president, for whom it was the last day at work. And the consequences of his decision will be felt by the future president and coach of the federation."
Talking about Anelka, the coach said: "I would like someone to explain to me why this number of matches was chosen, why not 19 or 20 - that needs to be justified. This situation is not good for French football, because we will need all the best players to qualify for the 2012 European Championship."
