Ca y est les gars, c’est fini ! (That’s all folks, it’s over!)
Prochain rendez-vous des Bleus dans quatre ans pour la Coupe du Monde au Brésil (Next rendez-vous for les Bleus in four years for the World Cup in Brazil), and in two years for the UEFA Euro 2012 in la Pologne (Poland) and l’Ukraine.

But then, the nagging question that remains is: Que s’est-il passé, au juste ? (What happened, exactly?)

It is true that, since Zidane left l’équipe de France in 2006, “la descente aux enfers” (“the descent into hell”) seemed to take its course uninterrupted. The 2008 Euro was a let down for les Bleus, and their 2010 World Cup qualifiers were not particularly très convainquants (very convincing.)

A new low has been reached this week during le match that opposed them against le Mexique: Everyone had noticed that something quite “unsavory” was prevailing au sein de l’équipe (within the team), but a few backstage scandalous details have eventually found their way into the French media columns: It appears that the attaquant of les Bleus, Nicolas Anelka, had verbally attacked the coach, Raymond Domenech, during the halftime of the game, and the profinaties were printed “verbatim” in la Une (the front page) of one of the largest sport newspapers in France: L’Équipe !Reaction of Domenech: Explusion de Anleka de l’Équipe de France.
Réaction des joueurs (reaction of the players): To protest the sanction against Anelka, and the “exfiltration” of the news about the fight Anelka-Domenech, they decide to do what some may view as a French reaction par excellence: Ils font une grève !  (They go on strike!) 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9cAwXiV0cY

Call it what you will: Une tempête (a storm), un scandal, une catastrophe, une débâcle, un fiasco, une pagaille (a mayhem), une déroute, une déconfiture, une faillite,  un désastre, une crise (a crisis), or even une autre révolution française; one thing is sure though: The French Football team is today witnessing un tournant décisif (a decisive turning point) in its history.       Even le Préseident de la République, Nicolas Sakozy, had to intervene personally into la polémique, as well as Madame la Ministre des Finances (Finance Minister), Christine Lagarde, whom we thought was already too busy dealing with the delicate intricacies of la crise financière, and who has herself represented France as a synchronized swimmer, jumping on the bandwagon to say that the behavior of les Bleus is inacceptable (unacceptable), most especially since the young French look up to them, regarding them as role models.

At this point, all French supporters are desperately turning their eyes towards Laurent Blanc: The former French player who scored the first ever but en or (golden goal) in the history of the World Cup (against Paraguay in 1998, when France won the World Cup) will be the le nouveau entraîneur de l’équipe de France (the new coach of the French team.)

Will Laurent Blanc be le sauveur (the savior) of les Bleus ? Only time will tell, of course.

Finally, une petite anecdote: Nicolas Anelka is married since 2007 to Belgian choreographer Barbara Tausia, who is also the founder of a public relations firm called “Between“, which counts as clients, among other celebrities, Jay Z and Timbaland.Will her specialized firm be able to help improve her husband’s severed image de marque (corporate image) in France and elsewhere?
She will have to start with Crédit Agricole, who has officially announced that it was suspending one of its TV spots that featured Anelka and the rest of les Bleus.

Comble de l’ironie (Supreme irony): It apprears that one of the clients of Anelka’s wife is none other than the French coach himself, Raymond Domenech, who is, at the time of this writing, still prominently featured on the website of the PR firm!
Check for yourself: www.bw-between.fr !