Evra: We must find the traitor
Captain Patrice Evra has accused a “traitor” within the France camp of trying to destabilise the squad.
Striker Nicolas Anelka has been sent home from the World Cup after his bust-up with coach Raymond Domenech at half-time of Thursday’s 2-0 defeat to Mexico.
The Chelsea forward refused to apologise for his foul-mouthed comments and, as a result, the France Football Federation said they had no other option but to send him home.
Anelka’s row with Domenech was splashed all over the front page of French newspaper L’Equipe today and Evra said the blame for that lies with an unknown individual within the team’s World Cup party.
“The problem of France is not Anelka, but the traitor among us,” he said.
“We must eliminate the traitor from the group, because he wants to hurt the team.
“There is no little mouse in the locker room, this comes from someone who is on the team and wants to hurt the team.
“We are not going to lie, the reporter [from L’Equipe] did not make this up.
“I do not know anything [about this person], I am not a magician.”
However, Evra, who revealed he was forced to intervene in the row, admitted Anelka was wrong to say what he did.
“His comments are unacceptable,” added the Manchester United defender.
Anelka has expressed his disappointment at the leaking of the altercation.
“It happened within the confines of the changing rooms, between the coach and me, in front of my team-mates and the staff,” Anelka told newspaper France Soir.
“That should never have come out of the changing rooms.
“I don’t know who can benefit from that, but repeating these kind of things certainly doesn’t help (the team).
“My aim was never to destabilise the French team, an institution I respect.
“I accept my exclusion from the France team and I wish them good luck,.
“I have a lot of respect for the France team, I equally have a lot of respect for all of my team-mates without exception, I insist on that point.”
