Former French Football Federation (FFF) president Jean-Pierre Escalettes felt helpless against the players' World Cup revolt.
Escalettes tells hearing he could not stop French players' revolt
Former French Football Federation (FFF) president Jean-Pierre Escalettes felt helpless against the players' World Cup revolt.
The 75-year-old official told a parliamentary commission on Wednesday he could do nothing to stop the players boycotting a training session in support of expelled striker Nicolas Anelka.
Speaking about the incident at Knysna in South Africa's Western Cape, Escalettes, who quit on Monday, said he had tried to convince the players sitting in the team coach that refusing to train was not a good idea.
But the players would not listen and continued the boycott to protest against the FFF decision to kick out Anelka after he had insulted France coach Raymond Domenech.
Escalettes and outgoing coach Domenech, who also appeared at Wednesday's hearing, which took place behind closed doors, told the commission they had tried their best to reason with the rebellious players.
In vain
Commission member Lionel Tardy said: "He (Escalettes) told us that in the coach they (Escalettes and Domenech) had used every conceivable argument in vain.
"Escalettes told us they faced a wall (of opposition), something he had never experienced in over 50 years of experience in football, and they could not make it fall. For him, something was broken that day."
Domenech told the commission French sports daily
L'Equipe had contributed to the team's collapse by printing Anelka's crude insults on its front page.
The insults had been muttered by Anelka at half-time of the 2-0 defeat by Mexico in their second group game. Two days later, the
L'Equipe story came out and later that day, the striker was sent home after failing to apologise.
"Domenech told us that the front-page story was what started everything," Tardy said. "He said that without it, he would have been able to handle the situation."
Lamour upset
Commission member and former Sports Minister Jean-Francois Lamour was upset that the hearing, which was scheduled to be public, took place behind closed doors at the request of the FFF.
"I find it scandalous that those two people refused to speak in the presence of media," he said.
"I can't understand what they need to hide from the French people."
The hearing took place after Fifa president Sepp Blatter warned that football's world governing body would suspend the FFF if France's politicians interfered in its business.
If France were suspended, the country would be banned from international tournaments and French clubs could not take part in European competitions.
