Manchester City midfielder Patrick Vieira and Real
Madrid striker Karim Benzema have been omitted from France's 30-man
preliminary squad for the World Cup in South
Africa.
Vieira returned to the Barclays Premier League from Inter Milan
in January and recovered some of his form, but not enough to
impress Les Bleus coach Raymond Domenech.
Benzema, who has had a less than fruitful season with Madrid,
has also missed out on selection for the squad, as has midfielder
Samir Nasri, whose Arsenal team-mates Gael Clichy, William Gallas,
Abou Diaby and Bacary Sagna are included.
Franck Ribery, who is sweating over his participation in Bayern
Munich's Champions League final with Inter on May 22 with the
Bundesliga champions appealing his ban to the Court of Arbitration
for Sport, is included.
Three members of Marseille's Ligue 1-winning squad - goalkeeper
Steve Mandanda and forwards Hatem Ben Arfa and Mathieu Valbuena -
are named, as are two Chelsea players, Nicolas Anelka and Florent
Malouda.
France were drawn in Group A alongside hosts South Africa,
Mexico and Uruguay, their opponents in their first game in Cape
Town on June 11.
Squad:
Cedric Carrasso (Bordeaux), Mickael Landreau (Lille), Hugo
Lloris (Lyon), Steve Mandanda (Marseille); Eric Abidal (Barcelona),
Gael Clichy (Arsenal), Patrice Evra (Manchester United), Rod Fanni
(Rennes), William Gallas (Arsenal), Marc Planus (Bordeaux), Adil
Rami (Lille), Anthony Reveillere (Lyon), Bacary Sagna
(Arsenal), Sebastien Squillaci (Sevilla); Abou Diaby
(Arsenal), Alou Diarra (Bordeaux), Lassana Diarra (Real Madrid),
Yoann Gourcuff (Bordeaux), Yann M'Vila (Rennes), Florent Malouda
(Chelsea), Jeremy Toulalan (Lyon); Nicolas Anelka (Chelsea), Hatem
Ben Arfa (Marseille), Jimmy Briand (Rennes), Djibril Cisse
(Panathinaikos), Andre-Pierre Gignac (Toulouse), Sidney Govou
(Lyon), Thierry Henry (Barcelona), Franck Ribery (Bayern Munich),
Mathieu Valbuena (Marseille).
