Malouda blames French system for World Cup flop

PARIS (Reuters) -- France's World Cup fiasco was the fault of the system, a poor environment and the coach's refusal to listen to players, according to Florent Malouda.

Malouda said there had been no dialogue between the players and outgoing coach Raymond Domenech during a disastrous campaign in which the team boycotted a training session in support of Nicolas Anelka, who was sent home for insulting Domenech.

"With France I came to play where I was asked to and that was it," Malouda told weekly L'Equipe Magazine in a interview released on Saturday.

"We didn't even try to see the coach to talk about the tactical system, 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1." added Malouda, blaming the now ex-coach Domenech for a lack of flexibility.

"It was just 'put yourself there and no arguments'. We did not look for explanations. Never in the last few years did my words have any influence on the coach."

Unlike at their clubs, the players did not find ideal conditions when playing for France, said the 30-year-old, who has played 57 times for his country.

"It's the failure of a system that led to the debacle," said the Chelsea winger. "The players who play for Chelsea, Barcelona, (Bayern) Munich or (Olympique) Lyon need a high-level environment to blossom.

"It was difficult for me to accept the way the national team functioned compared to a great club like Chelsea. Every time I was called up to the national team, it was back to negative stories and bad vibes".

Constant criticism from fans and media did not help, added Malouda.

"We heard we were paid too much and now we're being called gang leaders. We came to the France team to face stick. There was no protection," he said.

"We talked about everything but football. At club level, it is not like that. All the conditions are met for the player to be in a healthy environment to compete."

The players were not the only ones to blame for France's dismal showing, which ended with one draw and two defeats from the group stage, Malouda said.

"There are (Federation) officials and a coach who must offer their analyses," he said. "Ask the coach if he is proud of his work."

Domenech, whose contract ended with France's elimination, has been replaced by Laurent Blanc.

Meanwhile, French Football Federation (FFF) president Jean-Pierre Escalettes officially handed in his resignation on Friday.