Filed under: FIFA World Cup, France

PARIS (AP) — Nicolas Anelka’s profane tirade at the World Cup may have been his last act with the French national team.

He was suspended for 18 games Tuesday, one of four players banned by the French soccer federation for a World Cup mutiny that was criticized by President Nicolas Sarkozy and underlined an embarrassing first-round exit.

The federation also handed suspensions — subject to appeal — to former captain Patrice Evra (five games), Franck Ribery (three games) and Jeremy Toulalan (one game). Eric Abidal, the fifth player at the four-hour hearing, escaped punishment.

Anelka’s suspension is expected to last nearly two years. By the time the 2012 European Championship comes around, he will be 33 and possibly too old to make the team — if the French qualify.

“They (the players) are a bit bruised by the way things unfolded,” said Jean Mazzella, president of the disciplinary commission. “They didn’t think it would take on the proportions that it has, that’s for sure.”

The players already have been punished financially, with the federation withholding World Cup bonuses.

All 23 players on the World Cup squad boycotted a training session in South Africa to protest Anelka’s expulsion after he insulted then-coach Raymond Domenech during a 2-0 loss to Mexico.

The federation called only the five players who played a leading role in the strike. Ribery and Anelka — whose locker-room outburst triggered the protest — sent lawyers. Ribery, vice captain at the World Cup, did not attend the hearing because Bayern Munich refused to release him before its opening Bundesliga game Friday.

Only Evra, Abidal and Toulalan attended the hearing, federation official Yann Le Guillard said. Domenech was there along with then-federation president Jean-Pierre Escalettes and assistant coach Alain Boghossian.

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France Bans Players Involved in World Cup Mutiny

Filed under: FIFA World Cup, Argentina

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Argentina’s soccer federation has asked Diego Maradona to replace most of his staff, jeopardizing his future as coach of the national team, members of the federation’s executive committee said Tuesday.

Maradona has said with trademark defiance he would refuse to renew his contract if even one person on his staff was dismissed.

But in a meeting Monday, Argentine Football Association president Julio Grondona asked him to replace seven of his assistants, several executive committee members told The Associated Press. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to make public statements about the meeting.

Grondona and others asked Maradona to remove close friend and assistant Alejandro Mancuso along with six others. The Argentine sports newspaper Ole on Tuesday called Grondona’s actions a “concealed goodbye.” Grondona and Maradona have made no statements.

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Report: Diego Maradona Future in Doubt, Must Change Staff

Filed under: FIFA World Cup, Soccer Posts, Brazil

SAO PAULO (AP) — Mano Menezes became the new coach of Brazil’s national soccer team Saturday, one day after first choice Muricy Ramalho turned down the job because of his contract with Fluminense.

Mano Menezes in June 2009

Menezes has been coaching Corinthians but will now replace Dunga, who was fired days after Brazil lost to the Netherlands in the World Cup quarterfinals in South Africa.

Menezes will coach the team through the 2014 World Cup, which will take place in Brazil for the first time since 1950.

“I am here today in front of all of Brazil to say that I have agreed with satisfaction and pride to coach the national team,” Menezes told a news conference. “I have a habit of accepting important invitations, for they are always major challenges. I have always dreamed of one day becoming the national team’s coach, and that day came sooner than I expected.”

The news conference was briefly interrupted when a group of Corinthians players, including Ronaldo and Roberto Carlos, barged in to congratulate and embrace Menezes.

Corinthians president Andres Sanchez released Menezes from his contract.

“I am not one to stand in the way of a professional advancing in his career,” Sanchez said. “I would never do anything to destroy the dreams of a human being, especially one like Mano, who has helped our team so much.”

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Mano Menezes Named Brazil National Team Coach

Filed under: FIFA World Cup, English Premier League, England

After all the buzz at the FIFA World Cup, it figures that clubs around the world are preparing to deal with those lovely vuvuzelas as seasons begin in August.

The Barclays Premier League has said it is leaving member clubs on their own in dealing with the unmistakable air horns. That means the individual organizations can make up their minds about a potential rule banning fans from carrying them into their home stadiums.

So far, two Premier League clubs have decided to keep vuvuzelas away from their home ground.

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Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal First English Clubs to Ban Vuvuzelas

Filed under: FIFA World Cup, France

PARIS (AP) — According to former France defender Lilian Thuram, players on the national team have “awakened the underlying racism in society” with their strike at the World Cup.

Thuram, who said that France captain Patrice Evra should never play for the team again after the players boycotted a training session in South Africa, told Saturday’s L’Equipe newspaper that the strike had a calamitous effect on French public opinion.

Thuram said French people could now easily make a “shortcut” and think that “all the problems result from the fact that there are too many blacks in the France team.”

Thuram, a World Cup and European championship winner with France in 1998 and 2000 who is now a French federation official, added that only the players “who ignited the move should be punished.”

France midfielder Jeremy Toulalan said last week that all the players decided to strike to protest against Nicolas Anelka’s exclusion from the squad following an expletive-filled tirade directed at France coach Raymond Domenech during halftime of the 2-0 loss to Mexico.

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Lilian Thuram: Players’ Strike Awoke ‘Racism’ in France

Filed under: FIFA World Cup

The World Cup is over, and FanHouse has returned to the U.S. after five weeks in South Africa and 18 additional hours in seat 40G on a South African Airways A340.

The sports world and 24-hour news cycle don’t allow for too much reflection, but before we turn the page and shift our focus toward Major League Soccer, Americans abroad, the European game and the future of the U.S. national team, here are some memories, observations, thoughts and photos from a compelling, fascinating and exhausting trip.

THE GAMES

I covered 15 games in six stadiums over the course of a month, comprising all four matches involving the U.S., nine group-stage games, two in the round-of-16 (USA-Ghana and Brazil-Chile), the Germany-Argentina quarterfinal in Cape Town, both semifinals and the final.

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FanHouse’s World Cup Review: Reflections on South Africa

Filed under: FIFA World Cup, International Soccer , International, England

BIRMINGHAM, England (AP) — Striker Emile Heskey has retired from international football in the wake of England’s dismal World Cup.

Since making his England debut in 1999, Heskey scored seven goals in 62 appearances. He failed to find the net at the World Cup in South Africa as the team went out in the last 16.

The 32-year-old Aston Villa player said Thursday that “I wish the management team and the playing squad all the best for the future.”

The announcement comes after Fabio Capello announced plans to bring through young players to give the team “new energy” after he was retained as England coach.

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Emile Heskey Ends England Career After World Cup

Filed under: FIFA World Cup, International Soccer , International, New York Red Bulls, France

NEW YORK (AP) — Thierry Henry is retiring from the French national team.

The 32-year-old forward announced his decision during an interview Thursday at the offices of The Associated Press before a news conference to discuss his signing with Major League Soccer’s New York Red Bulls.

A member of France’s 1998 world championship and 2000 European champion teams, Henry said he will not try to emulate England’s David Beckham and commute between the U.S. and Europe.

“I always want to be here 100 percent and fully committed to this cause and the organization,” Henry said.

Henry had 51 goals in 123 international appearances. He made his debut Oct. 11, 1997, scoring in injury time of a 2-1 win over South Africa. His finale was June 22 against the Bafana Bafana, when he entered in the 55th minute as the French were eliminated from the World Cup with a 2-1, first-round loss.

“That was my last game against South Africa,” he said. “Ironically, it was also my first game in the national team against South Africa.”

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Thierry Henry Retires From French National Team

Filed under: FIFA World Cup, MLS, Soccer Posts, US Soccer, U.S. Men’s National Team, FanHouse Exclusive, Los Angeles Galaxy, United States

It’s been quite a summer for Los Angeles Galaxy forward Edson Buddle.

The 29-year-old New York native is fresh off his first trip to the World Cup — where the U.S. national team won their group, but fell to Ghana in the round of 16. Now, Buddle is back with the Galaxy, and was just named to the MLS All-Star team, which will challenge Manchester United in Houston on July 28.

FanHouse was lucky enough to catch up with Buddle to talk about the World Cup, his reception upon returning home and his future plans. And it’s clear he got a lot more out of the experience than just an extra 8,000 Twitter followers.

Below is the transcript of the conversation.

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Edson Buddle Talks World Cup, Europe

Filed under: FIFA World Cup

The World Cup has come to a close, but before the confetti settles on the victory parade in Spain, Soccer FanHouse is taking a look back at what we consider the Top 10 Goals from World Cup 2010.

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Out of all the cracking strikes, ambitious efforts and speculative chances, here’s what we (myself, Soccer Editor Brian Straus and Managing Editor Randy Kim) have compiled.

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World Cup 2010: Top 10 Goals