WELLINGTON — It seems a World Cup would not be complete without the French bickering among themselves.

Last year, the national team imploded at the soccer World Cup in South Africa when players boycotted a training session after the expulsion of Nicolas Anelka from the squad for verbally abusing manager Raymond Domenech.

It was not the first time the players had showed their power, as senior players such as Franck Ribéry, William Gallas, Patrice Evra, Thierry Henry and Florent Malouda had publicly clashed with Domenech.

Domenech was a lame duck at that point, as a former player, Laurent Blanc, was quickly lined up as a successor even when the World Cup campaign fell apart due to the infighting and woeful performances on the field.