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Wesley Fofana finally has his say about his unexplained World Cup walkout

(Photo by Anthony Au-Yeung/Getty Images)

Eight months have passed since Wesley Fofana hastily departed the 2019 World Cup in Japan, heading for home following France’s opening round win over Argentina, a match he didn’t feature in. He refused to talk at the airport before he left, suggesting he would bide his time before telling his version of events. 

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Now he has decided to speak up, giving Midi Olympique his reaction to damaging claims made last September by an unnamed French staff member. “Wesley is the only one who knows he’s hurt. Or rather, thinks so.”

Whatever the reservations held within the French camp about the midfielder, the truth was the 32-year-old didn’t get to play for his club Clermont until November 30, long after the World Cup had ended. 

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“I don’t know who was spreading this false information and I’m not trying to find out,” he told Midi. “Many people talk and talk too much, but I’m someone who believes in karma a lot. One day it will backfire on these people. We’ll see what fate has in store for them.”

Was there an injury? Of course there was. “I had partial rupture of the quadriceps. Part of the fibres, about 10 per cent, were still hanging on at the bottom, at the knee. Each time I ran, part of these remaining fibres jumped. 

“It was as if each time I accelerated, I would get a new tear. It was immediately painful, so I had to go through surgery to cut all the remaining fibres and stop these tears repeatedly. Now I have the muscle off the bottom and much higher in the thigh.”

Relecting on the time of his sudden exit from Japan, Fofana said he resented how the injury had gone undetected by the France staff but he has since moved on. “I resented them… from the start, this whole thing was badly managed by everyone, but it’s a thing of the past. I don’t blame them anymore.”

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RedWarriors 52 minutes ago
How Dupont-less France tossed a grenade into Ireland's Grand Slam celebrations

In both instances, Ireland can cross halfway in comfort and there are 20 or 30 metres of space in which to work, but a clear sense of purpose is conspicuously absent. Whether it stumbled into a handling error or a breakdown pilfer or delivered a negative kick back to their opponents, Ireland’s transition attack was toothless.”


I disagree with this in the first instance there is a three on one if Osborne receives the pass. He will get past Moefana with only Ramos appearing to confront Osborne, Aki and Sheehan with no-one behind. Probable try, not toothless. As Osborne is on the opposite wing to what he has been training for there is a handling error (understandable). You did acknowledge that Lowe was a blow, but thsi was not a toothless attack, the French defense was beaten there.

The second instance is a kick to Nash, again he will not have trained as much on kick receipts and takes the ball into trouble. Ireland’s systemic preparation is massively important to them but vulnerable to a pre match injury.


As I said previously, in all parallell universes France win, but it might have been a better and more interesting contest without that Injury.


My hopeful view before that match was of a Leinster-LaRochelle type scenario with Ireland building a score and then withstanding an onslaught. Turned out first half was a low scoring Leinster-LaRochelle encounter. Second half was tired Leinster versus Fresh Toulouse.

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