France winger Florent Malouda apologized to his nation and its fans after the team's disastrous World Cup and conceded that restoring its battered reputation is now a priority.
Coach Raymond Domenech and his players are expected to return home Wednesday to a hostile reception from a nation shocked by their behavior during the tournament.
Striker Nicolas Anelka was sent home after abusing Domenech, causing the rest of the players to go on strike and refuse to train before France's 2-1 loss to South Africa on Tuesday that left the team in last place in Group A.
"It's a complete disaster that we chose to express ourselves like this," Malouda said. "We honestly didn't know it would affect people so much. We could not imagine what would come after that. We're really sorry for the French population and the French fans. That's not what we want to show.
"The image we have shown to the world, the way they see France right now is a disaster. As players, we are the first responsible for that. Before the World Cup we had great expectations, and we are leaving without winning a single game."
Laurent Blanc, a World Cup winner in 1998, takes over from Domenech and one of his first tasks will be to win the fans over again. Opinion among the players seems to point to Domenech as the main culprit for the failure.
"There is a cause for all this failure, several things will come out," said France defender Patrice Evra, who was stripped of the captaincy by Domenech. "Then, if people don't want to forgive, at least they will know the truth."
Whether it was Domenech's failure to manage the squad, the attitude of Evra and other players or an interfering French football federation, the answers promise to be more entertaing than the team's performances.
"The End of a world," read the dramatic headline on the front page of sports daily L'Equipe on Wednesday.
Not only did France go out at the group stage for the second consecutive major tournament without a single win, but the behavior of Domenech and the extraordinary training-ground mutiny added to the problems on the field.
Last Sunday, the squad refused to train over the FFF's decision to kick out striker Nicolas Anelka after details of his expletive-filled rant were printed in L'Equipe. Anelka had insulted Domenech at halftime during the 2-0 loss to Mexico.
The extraordinary scenes from France's training ground as Domenech broke up an altercation between Evra and a fitness coach were beamed live back to the nation. One FFF official stormed off, shouting "I'm ashamed" before resigning on the spot. Domenech was left alone to explain why his players were not training and sitting on a bus.
Malouda was the only France player to score at the World Cup. When the final whistle blew after the South Africa loss, the enormity of the embarrassing exit hit him hard.
"I have never been a boxer, but it's just like you get knocked out," he said. "When you see the atmosphere in the stadium, you wanted to stay in the competition but we know we don't deserve it. What can we do? Go home. We deserve it."
Not all players were as willing as Malouda to take the blame.
"It's sport, it's football. We haven't killed anyone, even though we disappointed a lot of people," France winger Sidney Govou said. "You have to put things in context."
Many observers, including former France stars like Zinedine Zidane and Bixente Lizarazu, blamed Domenech for letting the situation spiral out of control and the FFF for retaining him after the team failed to make it out of the group stage at Euro 2008.
Domenech ended his six-year reign without a trophy and in contentious style, refusing to shake the hand of South Africa's coach.
"I've had six exceptional years, in both ways," Domenech said. "I wish Laurent (Blanc) all the happiness possible. I hope the France team succeeds."
