On the day France remembers one of the country’s most defiant rallying cries, its football team is coming to terms with one of its most humbling retreats.
Thousands were expected to gather on the streets of Paris to celebrate the 70th anniversary of General de Gaulle’s wartime call-to-arms.
But the chances of French football fans filling the capital’s streets – as they did after 1998′s famous World Cup final victory over Brazil – remain remote with the 2010 team on the brink of an early tournament exit.
French captain Patrice Evra admitted he was “disgusted” after the side’s 2-0 defeat to Mexico, mirroring the outrage from the country’s press.
France Soir declared Les Bleus “at the bottom of a hole” while Le Figaro attacked the “distressful sterility of the French attack”.
Manager Raymond Domenech had been “suffocated by his ego, only surpassed by those of his players”, according to the national sports daily L’Equipe.
“We mock him for his selection, in overlooking Thierry Henry, the record scorer in French football history,” it continued.
“We laugh at his fellow senior players, like Franck Ribery, William Gallas or Nicolas Anelka, who believe themselves to be superior.
“We laugh at their supreme arrogance coupled by their equal measures of ignorance.”
The much-maligned Domenech had told L’Equipe: “When France loses a match, we are always disappointed.”
But he said he found the fact the team’s progress in the tournament was now out of their hands “even more discouraging”.
A draw between their conquerers Mexico in their final match with Uruguay on Tuesday will dump the French – losing finalists only four years ago – out of the World Cup.
If either Mexico or Uruguay claims victory, Les Bleus will still require a hefty win against hosts South Africa, who are themselves fighting to stay in the competition.
“France knew their team was a bit rubbish but not many people thought it would be as bad as this,” said Sky News Europe correspondent Alex Rossi, observing the mood in Paris.
“Their country’s World Cup campaign was already riddled with existential doubt after a 0-0 draw against Uruguay but there was still hope. That, though, is in short supply now.”
One distressed supporter, Manu Chavane, told Sky News he was shocked at the failure of the squad, which boasts some of Europe’s highest-rated players.
“It was one of the worst nights of my life,” he said. “I thought we couldn’t fail given the group we are in.
“I watched it in a bar and everybody in there was in tears after the match. It is humiliating. We should be the best team in the world.”
The players will now need to summon the spirit of de Gaulle to overturn the odds and progress, but even skipper Evra bluntly admitted: “I don’t believe in miracles.”
