'Outraged' Blanc prepares to rebuild France team

PARIS (AP):

New France coach Laurent Blanc was "outraged" by the behaviour of certain players during the World Cup debacle and plans to rebuild the national team with only players he can trust.

Blanc inherited a team devoid of confidence, as Raymond Dome-nech's troubled six-year reign ended with rifts and infighting after the team went on strike at a training session shortly before their World Cup ended in the group stage.

"What bothers me is that, after the World Cup, a new coach should be able to lean on a hard core (of players)," Blanc said yesterday at his first press conference. "This hard core is not even a melon's pip. ... My task is to find a hard core within this team."

Blanc plans to meet with players shortly so he can sort out who forms part of his future plans.

"I can't act like nothing happened in South Africa, it wouldn't go down well. I followed the events, as you all did, with a lot of sadness," Blanc said. "I was outraged by certain behaviour ... it's a delicate situation, there are certainly meetings to be had."

The 44-year-old Blanc hopes to have made his mind up before his first game, an away friendly against Norway on August 11, followed by a Euro 2012 home qualifier against Belarus on September 3.

"Of course, I will speak to those concerned. We will speak about the future and about what happened in South Africa," he said. "I will make my choices and perhaps among my choices there will be a sporting punishment that means certain players who were present in South Africa are not among my choices."

HUGE PRESSURE

Blanc is fully aware that the climate is so bad that he is immediately under huge pressure.

"Everyone wishes me luck. I get the impression I'm heading toward suicide, or the guillotine," Blanc said. "I hope this climate will change with results."

Blanc has some key decisions to make and little time.

Federation official and former international Lilian Thuram - Blanc's teammate at the 1998 World Cup and at Euro 2000 - has already said defender Patrice Evra should never play again for France because he was the captain who led the strike.

Evra was stripped of the captaincy by Domenech and dropped for the final game against South Africa, which France lost 2-1.

Blanc intends to speak with Evra and others like Franck Ribery, Thierry Henry, William Gallas and Eric Abidal - reportedly the five main instigators in the mutiny - before deciding whether he picks them again.

"There are very few people who can tell you what really happened. I think I know a few of them," he said. "And knowing them well, I think if I have a meeting with them, they will tell me what really happened."

Blanc insists only those "with the right mentality and team spirit" will be chosen as he rebuilds the team and designates its new leader.