France coach Raymond Domenech described his players as acting like imbeciles when they protested against Nicolas Anelka's expulsion by refusing to train for a match that will decide their World Cup future.

"I tried to convince them that what they were doing was an aberration, an imbecility, a stupidity without name," Domenech said Monday.

France plays South Africa on Tuesday in a Group A match it needs to win to stand a chance of advancing. It also requires a winner in the Mexico-Uruguay game to avoid a repeat of the 2008 European Championship, when it went out in the first round.

The message from Domenech, team officials and politicians is clear: the players are on their own after Sunday's strike.

"French football is facing a disaster, not because it lost a match but because this disaster is a moral disaster," sports minister Roselyne Bachelot said. "The reality of the situation must be faced head on.

"It is not merely just a bad period that must be gotten through, nothing will be like it was before. I said so to the players in an extremely emotional meeting."

Patrice Evra's role as captain could be over after only five games, with Domenech refusing to confirm him as his leader after the defender initiated the player walkout.

"I haven't picked the team yet, we will see tomorrow," Domenech said, adding that "they've expended a lot of energy. It's sad."

When Domenech was asked if some players had told him they do not want to play the game, he answered evasively.

"It is a possibility that we will finalise (things) tonight with the staff to see what team we put in place," he said.

Evra was furious at the French Football federation's decision to send Anelka home late Saturday, amid claims from the players that the FFF denied Anelka a chance to give his side of the argument at a media conference.

Having initially said he understood his players' frustration and that what Anelka said - although abusive - was something which happens within the dressing room, Domenech did a complete turnaround on Monday.

"First of all, I would like to specify that the punishment that was handed out to Nicolas Anelka is justified," Domenech said. "I support the federation in this matter. No one can permit themselves to act like that, either in the dressing room or elsewhere."

Speaking about two hours after Domenech, Bachelot recounted what she told the French squad.

"It's your kids, our children, for whom perhaps you will no longer be heroes," she said. "It is the dreams of your partners, your friends, your fans that you have perhaps broken. You have tarnished the image of France."

FFF secretary Henri Monteil cast doubt whether all the players wanted to strike in the first place, speculating that there were "three or four" leaders taking the rest along with them.

"Some players went to see Domenech in their room. They were crying, saying they were sorry for what happened. They were young (players)," Monteil told La Charente Libre newspaper. "Anyway, the three or four leaders are players who are on the way out, who will never play in a World Cup again. Who are they? ... (William) Gallas, (Eric) Abidal, maybe (Thierry) Henry, who is friends with Anelka."

The day after his tirade against Domenech - which happened at halftime during Thursday's 2-0 defeat to Mexico - Anelka trained as normal with the squad. He was sent home the next evening by the FFF after details of the clash were splashed across the front page of sports daily L'Equipe, including the expletives Anelka allegedly used.

Stern-faced and emotionless, Domenech also defended his decision to read out a statement from the players in which they announced their refusal to take part in training.

It had surprised many that Domenech agreed to speak on the players' behalf, because it created ambiguity about whether he supported the strike or not.

Domenech said he spent more than 45 minutes trying to talk the players out of the strike, including when the players were on the team bus with the curtains closed. Other federation officials also tried, with one delegate even resigning over the incident, he said.

"At a certain point, I said to myself: 'Stop. We have to put an end to this charade' - because that is what this was," Domenech said. "Something must be done. Everything was being broadcast live. The French and all the people who were asking themselves what was happening had a right to know. So I took the paper and I read it."

"What I should have said at the end is that in no way do I support this document or this attitude."

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