BRIEFS - Malouda apology

KNYSNA, South Africa (AP):

France winger Florent Malouda apologised to his nation and their fans after the team's disastrous World Cup and conceded that restoring their battered reputation is now a priority. Coach Raymond Domenech and his players are expected to return home to a hostile reception from a nation shocked by their behaviour during the tournament.

Striker Nicolas Anelka was sent home after abusing Domenech, causing the rest of the players to go on strike and refuse to train before France's 2-1 loss to South Africa on Tuesday that left the team in last place in Group A.

"It's a complete disaster that we chose to express ourselves like this," Malouda said. "We honestly didn't know it would affect people so much. We could not imagine what would come after that. We're really sorry for the French population and the French fans. That's not what we want to show.

"The image we have shown to the world, the way they see France right now is a disaster. As players, we are the first responsible for that. Before the World Cup, we had great expectations and we are leaving without winning a single game".

Henry meeting

KNYSNA, South Africa (AP):

France striker Thierry Henry will meet President Nicolas Sarkozy today to discuss the debacle. Government spokesman Luc Chatel said Sarkozy held a meeting with ministers late yesterday on how to reform French football. Sarkozy met with Prime Minister François Fillon and Sports Minister Roselyne Bachelot yesterday to discuss France's poor showing in South Africa.

"The head of state asked the ministers to ensure that those responsible learn the lessons of this disaster quickly," Sarkozy's press department said. "He also asked the ministers to ensure that no financial reward is given."

France defender Patrice Evra said on Tuesday that all the players had agreed to forfeit their bonuses. Opinion among the players seems to point to Domenech as the main culprit for the failure.

"There is a cause for all this failure, several things will come out," said Evra, who was stripped of the captaincy by Domenech. "Then, if people don't want to forgive, at least they will know the truth."

Fan drowns

SEOUL, South Korea (AP):

A South Korean man has drowned after jumping into a river to celebrate the country advancing to the second round of the World Cup. Police said the 20-year-old university student, surnamed Lee, leaped into Seoul's Han River with three friends yesterday morning after South Korea held Nigeria to a 2-2 draw in their final group game and made it to the knock-out phase.

Lee's friends quickly got out of the water but he failed to do so. Police say they later rescued Lee and took him to a nearby hospital, but he died.

Dutch visit

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP):

The Netherlands players have visited Robben Island where Nelson Mandela and other anti-apartheid activists were long held in prison. The Dutch scrapped their morning training session to take a ferry to the island for a guided tour yesterday, a day before their last Group E game against Cameroon at the World Cup.

After laughing and joking during the ferry trip, all turned deadly serious when they were shown around the cramped prison cells. The players then returned to the mainland for a training session.