France captain Vieira out of Italy match

France captain Patrick Vieira said today he would miss their final group game against world champions Italy because of a thigh injury.

"I was hoping to play that last group match but, unfortunately, the pain is still there and I don't know when I will be able to resume playing," Vieira told a news conference a day before the game.

Midfielder Vieira, who hurt a left thigh muscle in training for a warm-up game, has been kept in the squad but has not played.

France coach Raymond Domenech had brought Mathieu Flamini as a potential late replacement if Vieira were ruled out before their first game.

The 31-year-old Vieira, who had resumed training a few days before France's opening match against Romania, stayed and Flamini went home.

"I stayed because I thought I would be able to play that last (group) match and my experience could be useful," a frustrated Vieira said.

"It's true that at some stage, I'm going to need explanations," he added, suggesting the injury had not been properly diagnosed.

"My future doesn't bother me," he added. "What does bother me is this tournament, the matches I missed and the one we still have to play."

France will qualify for the quarter-finals only if they beat Italy and Romania do not beat Netherlands at the same time tomorrow.

Vieira was replaced by Jeremy Toulalan in France's first two games, a 0-0 draw with Romania followed by a 4-1 thrashing by the Dutch.