New France coach Laurent Blanc reacts during a press conference in Paris, Tuesday, July 6, 2010. Blanc will drop all 23 World Cup players for his first match next month as collective punishment for the team's embarrassing fiasco in South Africa.Thibault Camus/The Associated Press
New France coach Laurent Blanc wasted no time in making his mark on the international soccer scene with his recent decision to ban all 23 World Cup players - following the insurrection in South Africa - for their next international game versus Norway.
In doing so, Blanc has received unprecedented support and praise from all areas, including the French Federation, former French players, global media, political leaders, and other coaches. In essence the whole darn lot.
In many ways the current debacle will be a blessing in disguise for the long-term health and well-being of French soccer. Through adversity comes opportunity. The chance to build and solidify future success based firstly on solid principles of loyalty and respect of authority is now within its grasp.
Blanc has been charged with this opportunity and, looking at this first decision, he has regained the power in one swift, ruthless move.
But the challenge for the new leader of French soccer will now be to select the right players in the future. And never has a coach previously been so justified in selecting them based first and foremost on character.
He only has to think back to 1998 when France won their first and only World Cup for direction and inspiration, with Blanc a key figure on that squad. As good as the French team was under the leadership of Aimé Jacquet - thanks in large part to the brilliance of Zinédine Zidane - he still had the gumption to eliminate the exquisite talents of both Eric Cantona and David Ginola during his five-year tenure, both of whom justifiably won Premier League Player of the Year awards in England.
Oh how the English national team at that time would have loved to have either one of those mavericks at its disposal. But the principle was there. Balance and character within the squad is not just vital, it is a necessity for success.
And so Blanc will now rightly be judged on his ability to assess and gauge the character of individuals and not just his savvy coaching ability. Winning coaches know who to trust, who to avoid and how to balance the positives with any negatives. Sir Alex Ferguson, Jose Mourinho and Arsène Wenger are examples of managers who get it right more often than not.
Which brings us to Canada. Putting aside all the development and infrastructure problems, if we focus directly on our men's World Cup team a change in philosophy should be made in how senior national coaches are hired.
Eliminating player involvement in the selection process should be made without commotion. After all, it is not a university or high-school coaching job. It is a job leading a nation into competition against other nations.
Having players as a part of selection committees or firing squads inverts the power base which empowers players and diffuses their accountability. It is an amateur way of doing business when total professionalism is required.
A technical committee of experienced soccer people with playing, coaching and leadership backgrounds should make these decisions. Tony Waiters, for example. Import foreigners on a consultancy basis if need be but do not open the door to current players.
The Dwayne De Rosario-Dale Mitchell debacle - where Dwayne was involved in the selection committee but then heavily criticized the coach at the first sign of adverse qualifying results - was as awful as it was comical judging by the largely apathetic reaction to the abhorrent actions of some players.
Mitchell correctly cut De Rosario from his team, but new coach Stephen Hart has not only brought him back, but appointed him as captain, too. In the future similar circumstances should not happen but it will require professional leadership from the Canadian Soccer Association.