Cisse will miss World Cup
(AP)
Updated: 2006-06-08 08:40
SAINT-ETIENNE, France - Djibril Cisse will miss the World Cup after injuring
his right leg in France's 3-1 victory over China in a World Cup warmup
Wednesday.
French national soccer team player Djibril
Cisse, center, suffers after he was injured against China during their
friendly soccer match at the Geoffroy Guichard Stadium in Saint-Etienne,
central France, Wednesday, June 7, 2006. France will play against
Switzerland, South Korea and Togo in Group G during their first round of
the upcoming soccer World Cup in Germany. [AP] |
France coach Raymond Domenech said Cisse was in surgery at a Saint-Etienne
hospital. He did not give the full extent of the injury.
"Everyone is devastated," Domenech said. "He is in the hospital. He is being
operated on. I'm not a doctor. I don't know the exact nature of the injury."
Domenech said he would not name a replacement before Friday, when he is to
hold a press conference at the French camp in Hameln.
In the 10th minute, Cisse was chasing the ball down the right flank and was
knocked off balance by an opposing defender. As he fell, his right leg twisted
under him and buckled above the ankle.
Cisse was taken off the field on a stretcher.
"It's so tough, to hear Djibril scream like that," striker Thierry Henry
said. "You lose a teammate and also a friend. But he is tough, he will come
back."
Cisse was France's leading scorer in World Cup qualifying with four goals. In
October 2004, he had surgery for a double fracture of his left leg in his first
season at Liverpool.
"It's tough for the group because we have lost a good player," France
defender Eric Abidal said. "He just came back from injury and was back to his
best. Tonight, he gets injured again. We want to go all the way, we will go all
the way for Djibril."
Domenech needs to call up a replacement but leading contenders Nicolas Anelka
and Ludovic Giuly were both critical of the coach and said they would not play
for France even in an emergency.
Henry scored his 33rd international goal in the match and David Trezeguet
also scored for France.
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