France lose Flamini for finals
Saturday, May 27, 2006
Article summary
France have confirmed that midfield player Mathieu Flamini will play no further part in the UEFA European Under-21 Championship because of injury.
Article body
France have confirmed that midfielder Mathieu Flamini will play no further part in the UEFA European Under-21 Championship because of injury.
Thigh strain
The Arsenal FC player picked up a thigh strain while warming up at half-time of the match against Germany on Thursday, a recurrence of the injury he suffered in the UEFA Champions League semi-final against Villarreal CF last month. "It's annoying because I was counting on him for his versatility," said France coach René Girard.
Group leaders
Les Espoirs top Group A after winning their opening two games, and will qualify for the semi-finals should they avoid defeat against Serbia and Montenegro on Sunday. Captain Rio Antonio Mavuba remains confident, saying: "Even though we have lost Mathieu, we still have a strong squad and we know we can count on everybody."
