New France coach Didier Deschamps yesterday warned players that they risked not being picked if they fell short of standards of behaviour when representing the national side.
“I really want everyone to have the right attitude and behave properly,” said the former Marseille coach, who took over from Laurent Blanc after the European Championship.
“If anyone doesn’t do that, they’ll be condemning themselves, not me. Being picked or not picked is a form of sporting sanction,” he said in an interview.
Midfielder Samir Nasri was last week handed a three-match ban from the national team following a French Football Federation (FFF) investigation into his behaviour during Euro 2012.
That came after an outburst at a television camera after scoring in the Group D match against England and a tirade of foul-mouthed abuse aimed at an AFP reporter following France’s elimination to eventual champions Spain in the quarter-final.
Jeremy Menez, of Paris Saint-Germain, was given a one-match international ban following a spat with captain Hugo Lloris in the game against Spain and for insulting the referee after the same match.
In addition, Newcastle United’s Hatem Ben Arfa and Yann M’Vila, of Rennes, were both issued with warnings.
Deschamps said he had no comment to make on the sanctions, which rules both Nasri and Menez out of the friendly fixture against Uruguay on August 15.
Manchester City’s Nasri will also have to sit out France’s first two World Cup 2014 qualifiers.
“The role of every coach is to shape a team,” said the former midfielder, who captained France to World Cup victory in 1998.
“The better it’s shaped, the better it is.”
Mindful of the furore created notably by Nasri during Euro 2012 and a backlash against player bonuses, Deschamps stressed the key role the players can have for the country.
“From a historical point of view, what happened in 2010 (World Cup, when France players went on strike against then coach Raymond Domenech) and at Euro 2012, players have to realise they have a responsibility to be an example on and off the pitch.
“There are two important things: the idea of pleasure, of representing France, wearing the shirt and at the same time a spirit.
“To be a French international, that has to be the pinnacle, even for players who are playing at big clubs and in big competitions.”
Deschamps is looking for his side to get off to a flying start in World Cup qualifying.
France have been drawn in a group with Spain, and with a trip to the Iberian peninsula to come in October, Les Bleus can ill afford a slip-up in their opening games away to Finland and at home to Belarus in September.
With Georgia completing what is a five-team group, France have to win it to qualify automatically but even reaching a play-off as one of the eight best runners-up will be challenging.