PARIS (AP) — Marseille coach Didier Deschamps has pledged to give his full cooperation to France coach Laurent Blanc’s efforts to rebuild the national team following its poor World Cup.
France went out in the group stage and former coach Raymond Domenech’s controversial reign ended when his whole team went on strike in protest at Nicolas Anelka’s expulsion from the tournament following an expletive-filled rant at Domenech.
Blanc’s request to ban all the players that went on strike for his opening match against Norway in next month’s friendly was upheld by the French soccer federation on Friday.
Deschamps told sports daily L’Equipe on Saturday that the “relationship between club and country is fundamental.”
