Post by Vish on May 14, 2006 23:07:12 GMT 10
The France Squad
PARIS, May 14 (Reuters) - France coach Raymond Domenech on Sunday named two uncapped players in Franck Ribery and Pascal Chimbonda in his 23-man squad for the World Cup finals.
Domenech had faced heavy pressure to call up Olympique Marseille's Franck Ribery, a 23-year-old attacking midfielder widely regarded as the finest French player in Ligue 1 this season.
The choice of Chimbonda, a 27-year-old defender who plays for Wigan Athletic in the Premier League, came as a total surprise. He handed in a transfer request moments after the team's final game of the season and is a target for Tottenham Hotspur.
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Fabien Barthez (Olympique Marseille), Gregory Coupet (Olympique Lyon), Mickael Landreau (Nantes)
Defenders: Eric Abidal (Olympique Lyon), Jean-Alain Boumsong (Newcastle United), Pascal Chimbonda (Wigan Athletic), William Gallas (Chelsea), Gael Givet (Monaco) Willy Sagnol (Bayern Munich), Mikael Silvestre (Manchester United), Lilian Thuram (Juventus)
Midfielders: Vikash Dhorasoo (Paris St Germain), Alou Diarra (Racing Lens), Claude Makelele (Chelsea), Florent Malouda (Olympique Lyon), Patrick Vieira (Juventus), Zinedine Zidane (Real Madrid).
Strikers: Djibril Cisse (Liverpool), Thierry Henry (Arsenal), Franck Ribery (Olympique Marseille), Louis Saha (Manchester United), David Trezeguet (Juventus), Sylvain Wiltord (Olympique Lyon)..
PARIS, May 14 (Reuters) - France coach Raymond Domenech on Sunday named two uncapped players in Franck Ribery and Pascal Chimbonda in his 23-man squad for the World Cup finals.
Domenech had faced heavy pressure to call up Olympique Marseille's Franck Ribery, a 23-year-old attacking midfielder widely regarded as the finest French player in Ligue 1 this season.
The choice of Chimbonda, a 27-year-old defender who plays for Wigan Athletic in the Premier League, came as a total surprise. He handed in a transfer request moments after the team's final game of the season and is a target for Tottenham Hotspur.
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Fabien Barthez (Olympique Marseille), Gregory Coupet (Olympique Lyon), Mickael Landreau (Nantes)
Defenders: Eric Abidal (Olympique Lyon), Jean-Alain Boumsong (Newcastle United), Pascal Chimbonda (Wigan Athletic), William Gallas (Chelsea), Gael Givet (Monaco) Willy Sagnol (Bayern Munich), Mikael Silvestre (Manchester United), Lilian Thuram (Juventus)
Midfielders: Vikash Dhorasoo (Paris St Germain), Alou Diarra (Racing Lens), Claude Makelele (Chelsea), Florent Malouda (Olympique Lyon), Patrick Vieira (Juventus), Zinedine Zidane (Real Madrid).
Strikers: Djibril Cisse (Liverpool), Thierry Henry (Arsenal), Franck Ribery (Olympique Marseille), Louis Saha (Manchester United), David Trezeguet (Juventus), Sylvain Wiltord (Olympique Lyon)..
Ribery included. Thats huge for them.
France need to play him if they are a chance.
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