PARIS: Nicolas Anelka, the Chelsea striker at the eye of the storm that rocked the French team at the World Cup, described Thursday the tensions between the squad and coach as a timebomb waiting to go off.

Anelka was sent home from the World Cup in disgrace for verbally abusing France coach Raymond Domenech at half-time in the 2-0 loss to Mexico in the group stages of the competition.

His expulsion provoked an angry reaction from his teammates who refused to take part in a training session ahead of their next game against South Africa which the French eventually lost, ending their World Cup campaign.

"If it hadn`t been me that brought everything to a head, it would have been someone else. It was a timebomb waiting to explode," Anelka told France-Soir newspaper in his first comments on the drama in South Africa.

"Everyone, and I really mean everyone, was as one," he said of the camaraderie amongst the players.

"If there were some players who wanted to train, let them speak now. But I`m 100 percent sure that nobody will want to."

Anelka also rounded on former team-mate Bixente Lizarazu, now an outspoken television pundit and a virulent critic of Les Bleus in South Africa.

"When you`ve been a player, you must have some respect. Lizarazu, who`s he? He`s just a ex-player lacking recognition who`s reinvented himself as a torpedo act."

BDST: 1522hrs, July 15, 2010