Just like the Olympics, the World Cup comes around only every four years. And just like the Olympics, the athletes prepare as only elite athletes know how to do. France's highly regarded national team, Les Bleus, went to the South African World Cup with a motto, "All together for a new dream." However, from its first competitive match through its final defeat, the team lived more of a nightmare.
On paper, France's team was considered one of the world's best. It should have been in prime position to walk away with the World Cup championship. However, the team performed badly on the field, and its behavior was even worse off the field. A top player was sent home for insulting the coach. The team captain hinted that there was a traitor in the team's midst after the coach/player dispute was leaked to the press. And after its first match ended in a draw and its second match in a loss to Mexico, team players refused to participate in a training session in a protest against their bosses. The final straw was the team's defeat in its last match by the host country team. So much for the dream. What went wrong with this team?