THE FRENCH NATIONAL soccer coach has suspended the 23 players  who played in the World Cup for the country’s next game. The mass suspension is a punishment for their poor World Cup performance.

The team exited the tournament after the first round, along with countries including South Africa, New Zealand and the Ivory Coast.

Laurent Blanc was recently appointed coach in place of Raymond Domenech. Just before their last game in the World Cup, the French players had boycotted a team training session in support of striker Nicolas Anelka who was sent home during the competition for insulting Domenech.

Doubts had already hung over the inclusion of Franck Ribery and Karim Benzema in the squad after they were recently issued preliminary charges for allegedly soliciting an under-age prostitute.

The suspension smacks a little of the short-sightedness that marked the Nigerian team’s return home. Their president banned the team from competing for two years after they were knocked out of the World Cup, but later recanted after coming under fire from FIFA.