I kinda feel sorry for Robert Green. It's not fair that he was turned down by nationwide for a savings account.

Whats the difference between the French football team and the French miltitary? nothing. They both end up losing anyways

DJ- rascist comments have no place in this forum

racist

how is that rascist???

DJEcc, How many time did your country won the WC?

I see no issue with DJE's joke whatsoever.

I don't know... a racist joke thread might go down well. Besides, the last time I looked French wasn't a race... although it's considered by many to be a disability

lol

Well putting down a nationality is poor form, but since it's allowed- the English are DEAD roots in bed, poor lovers, and can't cook, or dress well.
Americans are only good for one thing- MAKING WAR

My garden is full of dead roots. Long and hard they be ;)

Wrong, DeGaulle. Our music is much better than everywhere else in the world, too.

what music?

my intentions were not to start a cultural war rather to poke fun at the french forum posters. much like how my friends rubbed it into my face when y basketball team got knocked out of the NCAA tourney. but to answer some questions. We do make a mean steak here. and yes America has won no world cups. Give them time. i'm sure we can catch the "outstanding" amount that France and England have won. one right?

France actually has half a world cup; the other half went to its former colonies in Africa.

I would have said that cultural jokes are surely OK as long as their football related - which that one was.

For any UK users (or those with some way to watch BBC content):
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/world_cup_2010/8711765.stm
Some bits are a little obvious (I think because its ulterior motive genuinely is to explain football to non-football-followers), but there's some hilarious content in there.

@yayager ; That is rubbish, WHY oh WHY do Drogba plays with Cote d'Ivoir when he is both French and Ivorian and when he grew up in France? Our former colonies hate us, the black players are mostly from French caribbean. But anyway that comment is stupid, every sigle player in the French squad is French of course.

I guess Drogba was glad to become french when he was a poor imigrant, we fed him, and now, he doesn't play for France. I respect that, but I would love to see him instead of that bastard Anelka. Anelka hates France, he doesn't deserve to play in the squad.

@Chamois: "every sigle player in the French squad is French of course" is that why tonight's performance was so woeful?

@diplomat : maybe, plus Raymond Dommenech is a prick.

@Chamois: "Our former colonies hate us" they are not alone.

@Chamois: "Raymond Dommenech is a prick" I will agree with you on that. Amazing that he is the longest serving French manager. The sight of Henry & Cisse standing behind the goal not even bothering to warm up was incredible.

I've noticed that a a lot of the French players don't seem to be all that excited about playing for France. You'll find more passion in a German accounting firm's christmas party than at a French World Cup game. Is that just me being English and seeing what I want to see, or does it look that way to the French too?

@Octavious : I share your point of view on that

I think the French will get their act together under Blanc. Not expecting him to be a great coach, he's not got the experience yet, but he'll be a leader the players respect and won't be obsessed with playing people out of position just to show his system is right!

@cham:
Vieira - Senegalese
Makelele - DRC
Sagna, Gomis - Senegalese
Maluda - French Guyanian
Thuram - Guadeloupe
Born to Alegrian Immigrants:
Zidane, Benzema, Nasri, Ben Arfa.
--------------
More focussed list of current Squad:
Cisse: His Dad was captain of the Ivory Coast team!
Govou: Beninese (can't find details)
Gignac:French
Henry: Caribbean descent
Anelka: French
Diaby: Ivorian descent
Diarra: Senegalese descent
Malouda: French Guyanian
Toulalan: French
Valbuena: Spanish descent
Gourcuff: French
Ribery: French
Clichy: French
Squillaci: French
Evra: Senegalese
Planus: French
Gallas: French
Réveillère: French
Abidal: Martiniquan Descent
Sagna: Senegalese Descent
Mandanda: Congolese
Lloris: French
Carrasso: French

In most cases 'descent' means their parents are of that nationality. I realised I hadn't been clear only once I'd written the list, and I've not long enough to check them all again.
------
Totals for this squad:
French: 12
Born in France: 6
Born outside France: 5

@figlesquidge : good work, did you know that the martiniquan, gualoupean etc.. are French?

Ah, its in this thread - sorry! Just replied about it in the other one.
Well, those Islands are yes, but certainly Senegal, Algeria, Ivory Coast & Congo aren't.
Also I didn't try and rig the data just to support my point.

FIFA Article 18 reads in full:

"1. Any player who is a naturalized citizen of a country in virtue of that country’s laws shall be eligible to play for a national or representative team of that country.

2. If a player has been included in a national or representative team of a country for which he is eligible to play pursuant to paragraph 1, he shall not be permitted to take part in an international match for another country. Accordingly, any player who is qualified to play for more than one national association (i.e. who has dual nationality) will be deemed to have committed himself to one association only when he plays his first international match in an official competition (at any level) for that association.

3. The only players exempt from this provision are those whose nationality has been changed not voluntarily but as the result of an international decree either granting independence to a region or ceding part of one country to another."

Apparently this creates some issues in some cases... where players from developing countries go to play in a youth league in, say, France, and then are from then on ineligible to play for their original country of origin.

http://www.soccertimes.com/wagman/2001/apr30.htm

Rob Green has trained today and in 3 hours he had 4,000 shots fired at him and did not concede a single goal. Tomorrow, him and Heskey will train with the rest of the squad.

Germany and Japan start well, the French capitulate early on, the Americans look good off the back of England. Sound familiar? Think I'll pop down the bookies for England to beat Germany in the Final and for the Yanks to destroy Japan at some point.