Ribery and Gourcuff bury the hatchet
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France coach Laurent Blanc insists there is no lingering problem between Franck Ribery and Yoann Gourcuff after they spoke to each other this week.
Ribery is back in the France squad for the first time since last year's World Cup at which there reportedly were heated bust-ups between Ribery and Gourcuff. Ribery said on Monday that he would speak with the 24-year-old Lyon playmaker to clear the air. Blanc confirmed the meeting happened in the presence of one of his staff members.
"I'm telling you there isn't one (a problem). You can take it or leave it, but there isn't one," Blanc said on Wednesday. "The talk they had means they were able to iron things out. You always need to be three in a discussion. Often when you have discussions like that, to iron things out and get back to sound ways, you always need three people. Because if there are only two, it becomes difficult."
Fight on plane
Ribery denies there was ever a major bust-up with Gourcuff - French media had even reported a fight on a plane back from one of the World Cup matches in South Africa - but he admitted to being unhappy with Gourcuff on another occasion.
"I spoke with him during the World Cup, and I didn't like it that I was made out to be the bad guy and he was the unlucky one," Ribery said on Monday. "The thing I was expecting from him is that, at some stage, he issued a denial or that he came and told you (the press) that there had never been any problem with me. He never did."
Blanc praised the 27-year-old Ribery for speaking up.
"It's good to express what you're feeling, it's very good, actually. Because you can get things out in the open," Blanc said. "They had a talk, and that confirms what I am saying now, in that there is not a specific problem between Gourcuff and Ribery."
Blanc feels the meeting was productive and it's time to move on, starting with the 2012 European Championship qualifier at Luxembourg today. "You haven't actually asked me any questions about Luxembourg," Blanc told reporters.
