African Comment: French World Cup Squad Devoid Of Maghrebian Influence

French national team coach Raymond Domenech released his list of 24 players yesterday and, as usual, the omissions are just as notable as the inclusions. As a Tunisian, one of the things that struck me most about the squad is the lack of a North African contingent in the team. For a country where such a significant proportion of the population is of Maghrebian descent, it is indeed surprising that none of the talented players with this particular ethnic background made the final cut.

To be more accurate, some of them didn’t even make the first cut. Case in point: Samir Nasri and Karim Benzema. While the media in France may not have given much importance to this seemingly trivial facet of Les Bleus’ composition, the truth on the ground and in the blogosphere is much different. The comments that I’ve seen on various websites since the list became official, and the opinions of a variety of French citizens with Maghrebian heritage that I’ve spoken to indicate that there is a divide between the feelings of disappointment and the amount of coverage they are getting in the French media.

I am no sociologist but I don’t need to be to infer that some of these supporters who are commenting so venomously belong to the category of fans who had or would have booed the Marseillaise in the Stade de France when Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia faced Les Bleus there on separate occasions in recent years. Will this segment of French society feel more apathetic about their national team than they did already after this latest development? While I admittedly have no conclusive evidence, I’d venture to say yes, probably.

Ironically, to say that Raymond Domenech’s decisions were somehow racist, as some have implied, couldn’t be further from the truth. The reasons behind the exclusions of the main four contenders for places in the team (i.e Samir Nasri, Karim Benzema, Adil Rami, and Hatem Ben Arfa) are purely grounded in what goes into building a team that is cohesive both on and off the field.

Let it be known that I’m not Domenech’s biggest fan, far from it. His tactical decisions leave much to be desired, as do his roster choices which are partially based on astrological considerations (not a joke) and substitutions which often have no basis in anything at all (not to mention his post game interviews/marriage proposals, even though I just mentioned them).

Despite these shortcomings that make it quite astonishing he is still the head coach, the Lyon native wasn’t afraid to make these tough cuts based on what he saw as the best for the team as a whole. The “clash of generations” in the French team at the most recent Euros is so well documented that it need not be fully rehashed. Anyone familiar with the squad will know that there were locker room rifts between the old guard and the new arrivals (Benzema and Nasri amongst them) who were accused of showing a lack of respect to their elders.

The lack of chemistry showed on the pitch and France didn’t even make it out of the group stages, finishing their campaign with a demoralizing 2-0 loss to rivals Italy after getting crushed by the Netherlands 4-1 and being unable to overcome Romania in a goalless draw during their first match. This is the scenario that Domenech does not want to see repeated and he has taken measures to make the team more “livable.”

Furthermore, if you look at it on a case by case basis, perhaps the only player who should really feel hard done by is Adil Rami since only three true center backs were selected in the final squad and one of them isn't even fully fit yet. Due to his age and his lack of international caps, he was likely overlooked due to a lack of experience.

Meanwhile, Benzema, Nasri, and Ben Arfa all come with extra baggage that made them difficult to incorporate into this team without disturbing the delicate off field balance. Technically skilled they may be, but their footballing abilities often take a backseat to their attitude problems and propensity to rub their team-mates the wrong way. Plus, in Benzema’s case, he hasn’t even been getting first team football this season at Real Madrid…

Some cynics will tell you that these players are getting what they deserve for not opting to embrace their north African heritage and accept invitations to play for Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia respectively. However, this is a childish argument without merit because when it comes down to it, for dual citizens and players of mixed backgrounds, the choice of which national team to represent is deeply personal and cannot be imposed upon them. These players feel more comfortable representing France and should not be vilified because of it.

However, what they should do is attempt to replicate the defining personality traits of the most important player of north African descent ever to wear a Les Bleus kit and that is Zinedine Zidane and his trademark modesty. This is a player whose selflessness and on field performances made him more than just a sporting icon, he became a transformative figure in French society, allowing those who often felt that they were on the fringes of society feel that they did in fact belong and that they could achieve their dreams in France, no matter the obstacles, so long as they worked hard enough.

It’s been more than 10 years now, but few will forget those scenes on the Champs Elysees in the summer of 1998 when the world witnessed that beautiful sight of the French and Algerian flags waving side by side. It is practically impossible imagining another sport or sportsman managing to unite the country in celebrations of that sort.

Finally, if this hasn’t convinced you that Domenech has nothing against the Maghreb, then maybe what he said while speaking to Al Heddaf, an Algerian publication, will: “When you walk around in a Maghreb country and you see the potential that exists there you say to yourself ‘this is not possible!’ They can be World Champions! The Maghreb countries, they’re like Brazil. There are talents in every generation.”

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