The French Football Federation (FFF) announced on Friday that the debate over the France squad's forfeit of their World Cup bonuses was "definitively closed". "The office of the federal council, which met this Thursday, February 10 under the chairmanship of (FFF president) Fernand Duchaussoy, believes that the case of the 2010 World Cup bonuses is definitively closed," read an FFF statement released on Friday.
"To date, almost all the players present in South Africa last summer have officially confirmed in writing their renunciation of the money they were owed for their image rights." The FFF added that even the players who had not yet officially informed the FFF of their decision to give up the payments would be considered to have abandoned their bonuses.
The money, believed to total around three million euros, will be distributed in the amateur game. Last Sunday, Duchaussoy told AFP that six members of the World Cup squad - Patrice Evra, William Gallas, Nicolas Anelka, Andre-Pierre Gignac, Marc Planus and Franck Ribery - were yet to formally forfeit their bonuses. Duchaussoy added, however, that the FFF had "agreements from everyone" and said the delay was "purely administrative".
France's players agreed to give up their bonuses after a disastrous World Cup in South Africa last year that saw them eliminated at the group phase following a strike by the players. The squad refused to train in protest at the FFF's decision to send home Chelsea striker Anelka after he was involved in a clash with coach Raymond Domenech at half-time of the 2-0 loss to Mexico. Anelka was subsequently handed an 18-match international ban for his role in the affair, with Evra and Ribery banned for five and three games respectively. Jeremy Toulalan was also banned for one game.