It was on May 22, more specifically on Friday May 22, 1998. While Aimé Jacquet had given a first broad list of 28 for the 1998 World Cup organized in France, the Blues coach summoned six players after dinner in Clairefontaine castle, at 9:30 p.m. During the coronation of the Blues on July 12, against Brazil at the Stade de France (3-0), only Laurent Blanc had the decency to pay tribute to them …
Based on the book The Night of the Cursed (Fayard editions), published in 2018 by Karim Nedjari (who followed the news of the EDF for The Parisian at the time), GolazoThe Podcast of Sports.fr and French Football Weekly, returns to the ouster of Lionel Letizi, Martin Djetou, Pierre Laigle, Sabri Lamouchi, Ibrahim Ba and Nicolas Anelka before the World 98. The Six Bannis had started preparation with an internship in Tignes before settling in the National Football Center in Clairefontaine-en-Yvelines.
Laurent Blanc, he obviously did not play the final against the Seleçao (3-0). “The President” had saved France in the knockout stages of the tournament, scoring a gold goal against Paraguay, in the 114th minute of an unbearable extension in Lens. He was then excluded during the semi-final against Croatia (74th), after hitting Slaven Bilic at the level of the torso. The Croatian defender then collapsed on the ground while holding his face …
Laurent Blanc cites the six players
It was Frank Leboeuf who formed the central hinge of the French team with Marcel Desailly against Ronaldo and others. The Blues ended up winning thanks to a double of the head of Zinédine Zidane (27th and 45th+1) and a last achievement of Emmanuel Petit in additional time (93rd). “Lolo” White, in tracksuit, had the honor of raising the trophy of the World Cup alongside Captain Didier Deschamps in the presidential gallery of the Stade de France.
In front of the journalists after the meeting, Laurent Blanc, with angels after this historic coronation, also dedicated victory to the six banned players, by naming them one by one. Only Letizi was invited by the FFF for the final, while Lamouchi locked himself in his room so as not to watch TV. Questioned in 2018 on this subject by Karim Nedjari, the defender who became a coach said that he had probably answered a question of a journalist. However, in front of the press, Blanc spontaneously cited the names of the six banished. High class.
