France's World Cup Squad Quarrels as England Team Holds Crisis Meeting The World Cup struggles of the English and French soccer teams extend beyond the soccer pitch, where both are winless heading into the final group games. The French team had been under scrutiny before the World Cup, after former captain Laurent Blanc was appointed to replace Domenech before the start of the tournament. The 1998 world champion scraped into the finals with a playoff victory over Ireland that was earned after striker Thierry Henry admitted to handling the ball to set up the decisive goal. General manager Franco Baldini is already considering his future, according to the News of the World. He has offers from several clubs and will make a decision after the World Cup, the newspaper said.