The book The Night of the Cursedwritten by Karim Nedjari by Fayard editions, recounts the sidelining of the six banned of the French team as the 1998 World Cup approaches. Lionel Letizi, Martin Djetou, Pierre Laigle, Sabri Lamouchi, Ibrahim Ba and Nicolas Anelka began the preparation with the rest of the group but Aimé Jacquet returned to Clairefontaine on May 22. In this book, we discover how the players in tag, more particularly Christophe Dugarry, were included by Aimé Jacquet in the 22. Golazothe Podcast de Sports.fr returns to this striking moment in the history of the Blues.
Based on sporting criteria, “Duga” did not really deserve to be part of the tricolor selection for the World Cup finally won on July 12 at the Stade de France against Brazil (3-0). The striker trained at the Girondins de Bordeaux, who shone with Zinedine Zidane during the epic of the Aquitaine club until the final of the UEFA Cup 1995-1996, was part of the great world adventure thanks to his friendship with “Zizou”, the number 10 of the team, installed by Aimé Jacquet for Euro 96. During the 1997-1998 season, in the Barça then at OM, Dugarry touched the bottom!
After an honorable year at AC Milan as an offensive joker (6 goals in 26 matches in all competitions), alongside Marcel Desailly, “Duga” opted for FC Barcelona. A catastrophic career choice. He never imposed on it. Stronged by Sonny Anderson, Rivaldo, Luis Figo or Luis Enrique, the Girondin was tried the middle left of a 3-4-3 by Louis Van Gaal before staying taped on the bench (13 matches, no goal). The French international then claimed his departure after the Dutch technician during an interview in their hotel.
Dugarry begs Van Gaal and his wife
“I gave everything, I was a great actor”he says in The Night of the Mudits. To justify a return to France, Dugarry explains to Van Gaal that his wife made a miscarriage and that his father is sick. He even puts it back to the woman of the Batavian by launching her: “Please Help Me, I Need to Play”. The left winger heard with Rolland Courbis, one of his former FCGB coaches, and signed OM on December 30, 1997. But his physical condition was then disastrous. He was injured several times and was sent to Merano, scoring only one goal of all season 1997-1998, during a 4-0 victory of Phocaeans against Toulouse.
Mocked on all terrains of France, Christophe Dugarry is nevertheless in the 28 preselected of Aimé Jacquet. Scandal in the press. As the fatal verdict approaches to six players, the coach welcomes “Duga” in his room and announces:
“Christophe, I think in you, I have always known you, I know that I can go to fire, to the front, to the war with you”. End of suspense. Ibrahim Ba, a fiery right winger, was dismissed while Dugarry, Robert Pirès and Bernard Diomède all evolved on the left side in the club. The rest belongs to the great history of the French team.
