Jakarta, ID
Tuesday, May 29 2012, 02:10 AM

Sports

Toulalan accepts responsibility for WCup fiasco

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France midfielder Jeremy Toulalan says all his teammates decided to strike at the World Cup and that any punishment should be collective.

Toulalan says in Le Journal du Dimnche newspaper that he is "not proud" about the players' decision to boycott a training session shortly before their World Cup ended in the group stage, but "I accept responsibility."

Former international Lilian Thuram said defender Patrice Evra should never play again for France because he was the captain who led the strike.

Toulalan, who plays at Lyon, says all players were involved and "whoever says the opposite is a liar."

The strike was to protest Nicolas Anelka's exclusion from the squad following an expletive-filled tirade directed at France coach Raymond Domenech.