<p>France were eliminated from the tournament in South Africa in the first round following a campaign marred by a players' boycott of a training session in support of striker Nicolas Anelka, who was sent home for insulting coach Raymond Domenech. <br /><br />"I followed the events with great sadness. I was disappointed by the results and I was particularly shocked by some behaviour," Blanc, a member of France's World Cup-winning squad in 1998, told a news conference on Tuesday. <br /><br />"However, I'm not the bogeyman. It is not my responsibility to take disciplinary action." So tarnished was the reputation of the 2006 World Cup runners-up on and off the field that their debacle caused uproar in France and became a political issue. <br /><br />President Nicolas Sarkozy called for a wholesale review of French soccer and sports minister Roselyne Bachelot said the resignation of French Federation (FFF) chairman Jean-Pierre Escalettes was inevitable." Escalettes quit last Friday during a meeting of the FFF's governing body.<br /><br />Meanwhile, the 44-year-old Blanc, nicknamed "The President" in his playing days, has been hailed as a messiah after enjoying success in his coaching career by guiding Girondins Bordeaux to the 2009 Ligue 1 title. <br /><br />He started the news conference by reading a pre-written statement stressing his "total attachment" to the French national team and saying that "precision, discipline and pleasure" will be his motto. <br /><br />He was, however, cautious and non-committal when questions came about the futures of captain Patrice Evra, playmaker Franck Ribery and defender Eric Abidal, who have been branded as the ringleaders of the squad. <br /><br />"I shall select them if I think they are the best players available," he said. <br /><br />"I shall have to make choices and, perhaps, some of the players who were in South Africa will not be chosen if I decide they are not the best in their position." The first real answer will come when the new coach names his first squad before France travel to Oslo for a friendly against Norway on Aug 11. <br /></p>
<p>France were eliminated from the tournament in South Africa in the first round following a campaign marred by a players' boycott of a training session in support of striker Nicolas Anelka, who was sent home for insulting coach Raymond Domenech. <br /><br />"I followed the events with great sadness. I was disappointed by the results and I was particularly shocked by some behaviour," Blanc, a member of France's World Cup-winning squad in 1998, told a news conference on Tuesday. <br /><br />"However, I'm not the bogeyman. It is not my responsibility to take disciplinary action." So tarnished was the reputation of the 2006 World Cup runners-up on and off the field that their debacle caused uproar in France and became a political issue. <br /><br />President Nicolas Sarkozy called for a wholesale review of French soccer and sports minister Roselyne Bachelot said the resignation of French Federation (FFF) chairman Jean-Pierre Escalettes was inevitable." Escalettes quit last Friday during a meeting of the FFF's governing body.<br /><br />Meanwhile, the 44-year-old Blanc, nicknamed "The President" in his playing days, has been hailed as a messiah after enjoying success in his coaching career by guiding Girondins Bordeaux to the 2009 Ligue 1 title. <br /><br />He started the news conference by reading a pre-written statement stressing his "total attachment" to the French national team and saying that "precision, discipline and pleasure" will be his motto. <br /><br />He was, however, cautious and non-committal when questions came about the futures of captain Patrice Evra, playmaker Franck Ribery and defender Eric Abidal, who have been branded as the ringleaders of the squad. <br /><br />"I shall select them if I think they are the best players available," he said. <br /><br />"I shall have to make choices and, perhaps, some of the players who were in South Africa will not be chosen if I decide they are not the best in their position." The first real answer will come when the new coach names his first squad before France travel to Oslo for a friendly against Norway on Aug 11. <br /></p>