bini's babes

you'll have to show me your work.

 

A-Rod? who's A-Rod? who the hell is talking about A-Rod?

edit: sorry dundalk, i was completely OTL, i thought you were talking to me. (are you talking to me? are you talking to me? well there's nobody else here...)

at least not until you hit "show ignored posts"!

 

i appreciate that and want to point out that although there are several posters on BS (and other places on the net) far more annoying, in all these years in all the forums i've contributed to i have only ever "ignored" one*. because even X or Y (not their real names) can come up with something interesting from time to time. here i feel i run no such risk.

* whereas some it seems have clicked a button in their heads "ignore EVERYONE".

 

this just in!

Exclusive Interview with Sonia Bompastor
- published in this morning's edition of the Blois edition of La Nouvelle République
- translated by your old pal guignol (and very nicely too)

Sportifs Kleenex

A monday morning when she normally would be packing for the trip to Clairefontaine to join the équipe de France whose jersey she has worn since February 26, 2000. Instead, Sonia Bompastor was with her family in Mer, recuperating far from the emotion that arose from her not being on the latest France list. Interview with a player who is hurt, but not down.

Ten days after the publication of the list, what is your state of mind?"I'm OK… to be honest, with the Champions League and the big match against Juvisy (4-0), I was above all concentrated on the on-field part. It's only now that it seems strange…"

What's strange is that your being left off wasn't accompanied by the slightest comment from Bruno Bini even though you've always been a key player…
Yes, that's what bothers me the most in this story. I ask myself a lot of questions. But I don't have any answers. I don't understand."

Rumor has it there was a stormy discussion between you two during the last training camp...
"There was a conversation, but it went very well. There was no clash. At no time did either he or I raise our voices. The discussion was very interesting. And we had the same point of view on certain things."

Which of you originated the discussion ?He asked me into his room to announce that he had decided to play Laure Boulleau instead of me, which I perfectly accepted. I took advantage of the opportunity to have a debriefing about the olympics. I made certain remarks about the tournament, the preparation, the relations in the group. I said certains things could be improved and he agreed. We talked for 45 minutes.

" Bruno Bini me considérait comme une cadre de l'équipe… "
It was afterwards that things became complicated…Yes, after the meeting he completely ignored me. Not a look, not a word. Nothing! The day the list came out he didn't even call me. For someone who puts such emphasis on human values, in this case he didn't show any. As for myself, I can look at myself in the mirror when I wake up."

It's a big shock for you?
"Obviously. A year ago, after the World Cup in Germany, he told everyone I was the best fullback in the world, that I deserved to make the Top 10, the top three… I was touched by his praise and the fact that he considered me a leader on the team".


On the bench a month ago against Scotland and Ireland, not called on this time for England and the Netherlands,, do you think we'll ever see you in a blue jersey again?"Sincerely, it doesn't look good. Especially when before me other important players have had the same fate. I'm thinking of Hoda Lattaf, his co-captain, who disappeared overnight,of Laëtitia Tonazzi and Amandine Henry who didn't get any explanation either.

What do the other players think? Have you received any messages of support?"There are eight Lyon players in les Bleues and I'm their captain at OL. All of them have naturally had a kind word. Others who aren't my club teammates have given me support as well. It's heartwarming. They know I've always put the team first.*

And your captain in the national team Sandrne Soubeyrand, has she called ?
"No. There's no affinity between us. Even if I have enormous respect for her career (Ed : Soubeyrand at 39 has 185 caps). She said some shocking things in different media In one interview she said we at Lyon have won our trophies because of our foreigners, when we won the last Champions League (against Frankfurt, 2-0) with nine French players on the starting lineup and the goals were scored by Abily and Le Sommer. In another she said we had giant-sized egos. That kind of communication is a bomb : to destabilize a group there's nothing better. A captain is supposed to unify a team, not divide it."

Outside of the Equipe de France, I suppose there's been a lot of support.
"Yes, my family and the supporters are with me, My club too. Jean-Michel Aulas has said some nice things."
Do you think this could harm the image of the French WNT?
"In terms of communication, you have to be careful. what are people saying about les Bleues? They're pretty, they're nice, they sign autographs and pose for photos ; but in the end they don't win. At least at Lyon we do all of this."

With 156 sélections, perhaps you've said farewell to the NT without a jubilee, not even a bouquet of flowers…"In the world of football, you never know what to expect. In any case, no matter what happens, I'll remain a supporter of the équipe de France. I'll watch them on TV And I wish them every success."

 

comments on the above: first of all it's very transparently a guided interview: soso is giving the answers but she decided on the questions too. Naturally it's self-serving, and the truth is stretched to some extent but barring any outright bald-faced prevarication (which i extremely doubt) it puts BB and SS in a pretty harsh light. and even trying my best to put aside my own bias it's hard for me not to imagine that without these two, and with all those they have tossed into the ditch, the EdF would be (and would have been) stronger over the past 18 months that BB has gotten so much credit for.

a comment about these two lines:

"Even if I have enormous respect for her career (Ed : Soubeyrand at 39 has 185 caps)..."

"With 156 sélections, perhaps you've said farewell to the NT without a jubilee, not even a bouquet of flowers..."

at 32, bompastor's cap count is better than soubeyrand's. when you see the level she plays at (and in parallel consider as i do that most of mamie's last dozen have come at the expense of the team and to her personal benefit only) one can imagine without difficulty sonia passing up sandrine, and not by a meager one or two appearances. it's hard for me not to imagine this has much to do with the chill between them. and comparing the gala soubeyrand got when she passed up thuram's 142 selections with sonia's being so unceremoniously tossed into the dustbin leaves one with a sentiment of very profound injustice.

 

i see your logic but feel you're un peu vite en besogne... at the time i imagined completely different reasons for her being on the bench (she had looked flat and in need of rest) so the possibility remains that what was said between them did make a difference. in any case it's hard to imagine anything happening in the couple of days between arrival at camp and this discussion so terrible as to make complete and immediate exclusion a better way of handling things than a simple "you're out of line, soso".

 

Now he's in the yvelines departement with his essonian army and his faithful lieutenants lutinspiré and lutintamarre... very obviously, he has gone insane.


"Yes sir, very much so sir.

 

her retirement after euro13 is logical, and she has talked about it... but it's not really written in stone. that said i'll agree with you and revise my statement to say that had she wished to sonia could have gone on to 200 glorious caps, and that soubeyrand would have been well advised to stop at 150. is that better?