The ghosts of Euro 2008, where a rotten atmosphere marred a campaign that ended after the group stage, have come back to haunt the former world champions on the pitches of South Africa, with another early exit now looming large.
A report that troubled striker Nicolas Anelka had insulted coach Raymond Domenech at halftime of a 2-0 defeat by Mexico on Thursday in Polokwane was the latest sign that life in the France squad was ruined by bickering and scandals.
The former enfant terrible of French soccer, Anelka has been more interested at playing with the ball than passing it to his team mates at this World Cup, providing a symbol for France's failure to behave as a team on and off the pitch.
His crude remarks shouted at the unpopular Domenech, according to French sports daily L'Equipe, came after the coach criticised his attitude on the pitch before deciding to take him off for the second half.
"We can feel that the group is uniting," defender Sebastien Squillaci said during France's preparations. "I wouldn't say there was a bad atmosphere in 2008 but it's true that there was some discrepancy between the generations. It's different here."
"We're not all the best of friends, that's normal, but that does not translate on to the pitch," midfielder Jeremy Toulalan, a close friend of Gourcuff, said when asked about those reports.
"For instance, when I'm playing with Yoann, I'm not going to pass him the ball more just because we get on well," he added.
According to some observers, Domenech might have picked the wrong side of France's footballing culture.
"Ribery ? One day the mistake was made to say he was the team's brains and since, he has believed it," Just Fontaine, who scored a record 13 goals for France at the 1958 World Cup, told local newspaper La Depeche du Midi.
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