The French Football Federation has suspended all 23 players who were in their World Cup squad.

The move comes in their continuing investigation into the unrest and abject performance in the finals in South Africa last month.

New national coach Laurent Blanc has requested that none of the 23 were to be selected for a friendly match in Oslo against Norway on August 11th.

France failed to win any of their three group games in South Africa.

The campaign included players boycotting training in support of Nicolas Anelka, who was sent home for insulting coach Raymond Domenech.

The sanction means France’s opening qualifier for Euro 2012, at home to Belarus on 3 September, will be the first opportunity for any of the 23 to feature in a Blanc squad.

Blanc said: “I obviously cannot act as if nothing had happened in South Africa.

“I followed the events with sadness, I was disappointed with the sporting results and I was shocked by certain behaviours.

“I will integrate these elements into my analysis and my thoughts. I always had the principles, rules of conduct and not just in my sporting life. They have not changed and I will not change.”

Raymond Domenech was sacked following the dismal performance by the FFF president, Jean-Pierre Escalattes.

The one-day training strike, on 20 June, came after Chelsea forward Anelka was sent home from the tournament following a heated exchange with Domenech at half-time during the defeat to Mexico on 17 June.

France captain Patrice Evra accused a “traitor” within the party of leaking details of Anelka’s rant to the media and of destabilising the squad, and the skipper was then seen arguing with fitness coach Robert Duverne at the start of the scheduled training session.

Duverne stormed off the training ground and the players headed for their bus and refused to train, leaving Domenech to read a statement to the press on their behalf.

Former France defenders Lilian Thuram and Marcel Desailly called for Evra to be banned from national team duty over his part in the insurrection, and Escalettes took a similar stance.

But Blanc said upon his unveiling as Domenech’s successor: “It is not for me to decide on sanctions. I am not the bogeyman. If I consider they are the best players in their position, I will take them.”

Goalkeeper Hugo Lloris has admitted that the decision to strike was “completely stupid”.

The Lyon star told French sports newspaper L’Equipe: “We acted as a team. To strike was the decision of a squad who felt lonely, who believed that no-one had stood up for them and who had a message to convey.

“We went too far. It was a very awkward decision, a big mistake. It was completely stupid. But there were so many problems.

“We all want to improve the image of Les Bleus. We must make all possible effort, give everything. It’s important for us.

“We must go back to basics – respect for the jersey, of course, the team and the institution of France.

“We have a great desire that what happened in South Africa should not happen again, that there should be no self-destruction like that any more.”

Meanwhile, the FFF presidency has been handed to Fernand Duchaussoy in the interim following Escalattes’ resignation on July 2nd.

Jon Osterland