He came out. A few days before the 2026 World Cup, on the eve of the announcement of Didier Deschamps’ list, Netflix put online its documentary on one of the biggest fiascos in the history of the France team. The Knysna debacle during the 2010 World Cup.
While Patrice Evra, William Gallas and Bacary Sagna are among the players who testify, the central character remains unsurprisingly Raymond Domenech. The former coach, who led the Blues for the last time in this competition, notably told Netflix the diary he kept during this World Cup.
Several players take it for their rank. Nicolas Anelka, of course, with whom Domenech will have this legendary clash.
“Anelka who passed by without looking at me. This big idiot! “,
writes Domenech, who also scratches other players, like Thierry Henry (“Born August 17. Ordinary lion: he looks at his navel”) or even William Gallas, who “ always makes a fuss. » But the most acerbic comment concerns another element:
“ Gourcuff, but he’s an idiot. Mild autistic first and idiot second. »
Domenech pushes Gourcuff
A lot happened during these few cursed days in South Africa, where none of the protagonists can absolve themselves from their share of responsibility in this collective failure. But what stands out is that in the eyes of Raymond Domenech, the player who posed the problem was Yoann Gourcuff. On the pitch, of course, but also in the locker room.
After the draw against Uruguay (0-0) on the first day, the coach “sacrificed” the Bordeaux player, thinking of responding to a request from his players. Captain Patrice Evra says:
” LPeople came to me like I was the nanny because there was no coach: ‘Pat, go talk to the coach, we’re only doing shit, tell him to change his workouts.’ There, I go to see Raymond: ‘Coach..’. ‘Oh I know what you want, you want me to sacrifice the lamb! Well I’m going to put the guillotine on him, Gourcuff isn’t playing tomorrow!’ I said: ‘But coach, what are you talking about?’ ‘No, I don’t care, I don’t want to hear anything, I’ve made my decision: Gourcuff is not playing tomorrow.’ The players went crazy, they told me: ‘But Pat, we’re going straight into a wall.’ He’s crazy! »
We know the rest. Defeat against Mexico (0-2), altercation between Nicolas Anelka and Raymond Domenech, the front page of L’Equipe, the politicians who got involved, the strike… A national shame.
