World Cup: French president sets meetings to discuss debacle

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French President Nicolas Sarkozy will meet Thierry Henry at the presidential palace to discuss France’s meltdown at the World Cup.

Government spokesman Franck Louvrier told the Associated Press that the country’s all-time leading scorer and former captain asked Sarkozy for the meeting, to take place Thursday. France was eliminated from the first round of the World Cup on Tuesday after the team went on strike, failed to win a match and had striker Nicolas Anelka expelled for insulting the coach.That caused an uproar back home, with major companies shelving advertising campaigns featuring the team and Sarkozy and other politicians criticizing the players.

Government spokesman Luc Chatel says Sarkozy has scheduled a work meeting with ministers on Wednesday to discuss how to reform French soccer.

-- Kevin Baxter in Pretoria, South Africa