william-gallas

William Gallas, the experienced Arsenal and France defender, is refusing to speak to the press during the World Cup in protest that coach Raymond Domenech has handed Patrice Evra the armband for the tournament, according to the Daily Mail. Gallas, 33, is by far the more experienced of the two men in international terms.

Gallas has earned 80 caps but Domenech favoured Evra’s on-the-pitch maturity as Thierry Henry’s successor. It is not the first time Gallas has behaved with the maturity of a stroppy teenager. The defender famously staged an on-pitch sit-in following Arsenal striker Eduardo’s broken leg at St. Andrews two years ago.

By contrast Evra’s promotion is a reflection not only of the left-back’s outstanding season at club level, but the player’s growing standing both in the international set up and at Old Trafford.

The Mail also reports the French squad is in revolt over Domenech’s plan to drop Henry from the first team for Les Bleus opening match against Diego Forlan’s Uruguay in Cape Town on Friday night. The side’s talisman, Henry’s hand-ball in the European qualification play-off against Ireland in November effectively earned France’s place in the World Cup finals.