A difficult week for French football, starting with the infamous match last Wednesday. Les Bleus struggled, outplayed and outfought by the Irish, who missed a string of chances, the conversion of any of which would have avoided all the controversy. The match commentators, including St Arsène, were embarrassed, and the overall feeling was one of sheepish relief. Then came the media storm across the Channel and the Irish Sea. It seems the devil incarnate wears blue and answers to the name of Thierry. The clamour for a public hanging is such that a few politicians and ex-footballers have been moved to proclaim their shame about France going to South Africa. Perhaps it's cynical to suggest they are bowing to public opinion rather than any true sentiment.
Fair enough. What Henry did was wrong, the goal should have been disallowed, Ireland were more worthy of the win, but what amazes me is the level of self-righteous, hypocritical indignation in England - I seem to remember barely a mention of Michael Owen diving to win penalties against Argentina in successive world cups, or Rooney diving to win the penalty that ended the 49ers unbeaten run. Cheating is evidently a foreign invention. The English merely play clever...
Football rant over. Nearly. We were contemplating venturing out on Wednesday evening to take in the midnight arrival of this year's Beaujolais Nouveau in Place Bellecour, but tiredness and apathy got the better of us. Just as well, because celebrating Algerians mixed with the Beaujolais celebration and police ended up using tear gas to disperse the over-enthusiastic crowd. Elsewhere in the Lyon conurbation, jeunes Algeriens demonstrated their joy by burning a few cars and ransacking a couple of shops. Maybe it will be a quieter night next year.
If it's not bad taste to gloat about the weather to a British audience, then I will just mention the mini Indian summer we are having at the moment. It's been unseasonably mild for over a week, and today we basked in sunshine and temperatures of over 20 degrees. Winter has temporarily receded.
On the home front it's been a quiet week, apart from a big win on the lottery (winnings of 11 euros already partially reinvested), I've amused myself by making a hole in the toilet ceiling. But that's a story the telling of which can wait until it's fully over...
