Soccer: Disgraced French off home

By CATHERINE FIELD and INDEPENDENT

So confident were France of contesting the World Cup final again that they were the only country, apart from Brazil, to book hotels through to the end of the tournament.

Danish goals from Dennis Rommedahl and Jon Dahl Tomasson ensured that Yokohama International Stadium on June 30 can be scrubbed from the holders' itinerary and replaced by an immediate return to Charles de Gaulle International Airport.

France leave as the bottom team in group A, with the worst record of any holders in the competition's 72-year history.

Said Arsenal's Patrick Vieira: "Maybe the commitment of the players wasn't enough and that's why we didn't win a game. We got what we deserved."

Les Bleus can have few complaints. A squad containing no fewer than three Golden Boot winners failed to score in 270 minutes of action in South Korea.

The misery in France is profound and likely to endure.

"It's no longer 'allez les Bleus', it is 'au revoir les Bleus'," said a newsreader on national television.

The country came to a standstill during the last match, as if a collective act of will by 60 million people could help the team through.

Work slowed in factories and stopped in offices. In schools, many children (and even some teachers) sneaked in tiny radios to listen to the action.

The Place de la Concorde, the central Paris square that is usually a whirling mass of traffic, was deserted.

A kilometre up the road, the square outside City Hall was packed with football fans watching the action on a giant screen.

Pain was etched on their faces as they watched their heroes get the boot - a grim contrast to 1998, when a million people danced and hugged on the Champs-Elysees after France, against all odds, thrashed favourites Brazil 3-0 to win the coveted trophy.

"I feel let down by this team," said fan Vincent Picard, 21.

"They were arrogant and put on a pathetic show. We're supposed to be this mighty team and we couldn't even manage a goal."

Prepared like gladiators for the arena, the team flew to Asia on a wave of patriotic sentiment and unbridled sponsorship.

As any member of the 1999 World Cup All Blacks can testify, only one thing can happen when so much national pride and personal faith are invested and things go pear-shaped.

The messiahs instantly become pariahs, and the search starts for a scapegoat.

- INDEPENDENT

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