Sponsor dumps French team
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Paris – France's Credit Agricole bank suspended its sponsorship of the French World Cup football team on Monday after internal divisions in the camp exploded into a full-blown crisis.
The announcement came after French fastfood chain Quick said on Sunday it was stopping advertisements starring France's star striker Nicolas Anelka, who was sent home from the Cup after a foul-mouthed rant at coach Raymond Domenech.
But the German sportswear maker Adidas said on Monday it would continue to sponsor the French team as long as they remained in the competition.
Anelka's departure prompted mutiny within the French squad, with players refusing to train on Sunday and issuing a statement saying they were opposed to the decision after details of the bust-up were published in a sports daily.
The French press, politicians and media commentators have poured scorn on the World Cup squad, saying the team's protest had shamed the whole country.
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