At the end of 90 ho-hum minutes that could be Exhibit A in an argument about why countries should play fewer pointless soccer friendlies, the two coaches who have a very big reason to never again utter a kind word to each other came together for a warm-looking tete-a-tete on the touchline.
If Laurent Blanc still bears a grudge against Croatia's Slaven Bilic for causing him to miss the biggest match of his career, the 1998 World Cup final, the former French defender who now manages Les Bleus does a brilliant job of hiding it.
Bilic's play-acting in the semifinal 13 years ago at the Stade de France, the stadium where France met Croatia again this week, was so disgraceful that it ranked at No. 37 in a compilation of 50 most shocking World Cup moments that the BBC broadcast last year.
Jostling for Zinedine Zidane's free kick, with France leading 2-1 after two unlikely goals from Lilian Thuram, Blanc shoved his left palm hard into Bilic's chest, just below his neck. Clutching his right eye socket, the Croatian defender collapsed dramatically to his knees, pretending he'd been whacked in the face. Blanc's subsequent red card, his only one in 97 appearances for his country, meant he sat out the final against Brazil that France won 3-0.
For Blanc, that's old history now. He promised before his reunion with Bilic this week that he would shake the Croatian coach's hand. He kept his word. They spent a couple of minutes deep in conversation, and Bilic draped a friendly hand on the back of Blanc's neck, after their teams played out a scoreless and soulless halfhearted stalemate on Tuesday night.
Blanc's magnanimity was good to see. All of France should take note, because it is time for Blanc's countrymen to show a similar spirit of forgiveness to rebel French players who disgraced themselves at the World Cup last year.
That fans were furious, that President Nicolas Sarkozy got involved and that some critics called for life bans was understandable. The players did, after all, behave like spoiled brats in South Africa. Their televised rebellion, their refusal to train and their group sulk on the team bus with curtains drawn won't and shouldn't be quickly forgotten. Many angry words and column inches were deservedly directed at all those who dirtied France's name.
Still, as with the Blanc-Bilic push-and-shove in 1998, it is time to turn the page.
Those involved, with a few exceptions, have apologized for their behavior in South Africa. Some were genuinely embarrassed and almost certainly would not act so stupidly again. Most made the peace gesture of renouncing financial bonuses. The supposed ringleaders served bans.
Isn't that enough? Apparently not.
Winger Franck Ribery, a 60th-minute substitute for Florent Malouda, ran on to a gale of whistles on Tuesday night. It is not pretty when a crowd of 60,000 gangs up on one person. It takes neither brains nor courage.
Yet when he wriggled away from his Croatian marker and passed sweetly to Samir Nasri a few minutes later, chants of ''Ribery! Ribery!'' started in a section of the ground. So the crowd was fickle, too. The genuine anger that many in France felt last summer, even those who are not soccer fans, risks evolving into cheap pantomime. Ribery was the fans' villain and easy target on Tuesday night. Next match, it could be someone else if they don't learn how to forgive.
The fleet, inventive Bayern Munich player said afterward he'd been bracing for a rough reception because it was his first home game for France since he ended his three-match ban.
''There were whistles, of course. That's normal. I think I was prepared for it. Now, most of all, I'm very happy about how the public reacted as the match went on. It gave me more confidence,'' he said. ''This evening was a stage I had to go through, playing at the Stade de France, facing my public.''
Blanc believes that, with time, the fans will become more forgiving. ''Things will get better, you'll see,'' he said.
Still, Les Bleus walked off the field to jeers. French fans seem to have more fun knocking and mocking their team than getting behind it. Hard to believe that this stadium where Thuram became king for the day with his semifinal goals and where Zidane headed in twice in the final was once the theater of so much French joy.
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John Leicester is an international sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at jleicester(at)ap.org
