Case opened vs. 5 French players
PARIS -- The French soccer federation has opened a disciplinary case against five of the players who went on strike at the World Cup in South Africa.
Nicolas Anelka, Franck Ribery, Eric Abidal, Jeremy Toulalan and captain Patrice Evra will appear before the disciplinary commission of the French federation this month.
French federation president Fernand Duchaussoy said Friday it doesn't necessarily mean sanctions will be taken.
Investigators interviewed 18 of the 23 World Cup players, staff members and federation officials who were in South Africa when the players decided to boycott a practice.
The strike was to protest Anelka's exclusion from the squad following an expletive-filled tirade directed at then-France coach Raymond Domenech during a 2-0 loss to Mexico.
Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press
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