Er, Raymond...That's Not A Good Idea

Leaving aside the question of just how Raymond Domenech is still manager of France, you have to question his judgement when he is allowing injured players to mess about in Dune buggies in their time off.

Particularly when they, as defender William Gallas did, might crash the damn thing. Luckily Gallas was OK, but seriously - it's not a very good idea to let professional footballers undertake activities that could result in injury. There's a World Cup soon, you know.

Platini Engages Mouth Before Brain Is In Gear

I have to confess that, unlike many Englishmen, I have a lot of time for Michel Platini. He talks a lot of sense about the game and his plans to try to bring some fiscal responsibility to how clubs are run is in the genuine interests of the game in the long run.

However, if I was French, I would be rather annoyed with Monsieur Platini right now. Why?

Well, because Platini has had the temerity to say what everyone else is thinking about France's chance in the World Cup.

Here's what he said:

"There's a Raymond problem. Domenech was hopeless, it was after the Euros with his proposal which hurt the whole of France.."

"People were in pain and he comes with his words. He knew it, he's acknowledged it, he messed up and that's it. I don't see them [France] winning. I see them passing the first round. After, they will play either Argentina or Nigeria."

He's right of course. But if I was French, I would be more than a little annoyed that the President of UEFA was talking down his home nation's chances before the World Cup has even started.

Luckily for me, I'm not French.

Everybody's Injured and Other World Cup Fun

After it was revealed that Arsenal's William Gallas will be out for the rest of the season, France coach Raymond Domenech revealed (no doubt with typical Gallic elan) that he was "livid and pissed off" with Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger.

Wenger had, for reasons best known to himself, chosen to play Gallas against Barcelona despite the player only having had two training sessions since returning from injury. The result was predictable.

Now, inevitably, Gallas' will have to fight to be fit for the World Cup Finals. And he joins a long list of Premier League players in the same position.

Cesc Fabregas is also out for the season with a broken leg, Ashley Cole has a fractured ankle, Aaron Lennon has been missing for months...the list goes on.

These kind of injuries are becoming increasingly common and the reason isn't just the large number of games Premier League players are expected to play during the season. The reason is this: the football season never actually finishes.

All the big teams - no, scratch that, all Premier League teams play pointless tournaments in what used to the off-season, they go on lucrative foreign tours. In short, modern footballers play football all year round and their bodies never get any recuperation time. Hence, the increased likelihood of serious injury.

Put simply, Premier League clubs' greed is responsible for the World Cup potentially missing some of it's star names.