Blood illness the cause of Diarra's exit

The French national team continue with training in Tignes in the French Alps yesterday minus Lassana Diarra, the midfielder, who has returned home with a blood disorder.

TIGNES, RRANCE // Lassana Diarra, the France midfielder, was ruled out of the World Cup because of a genetic red-blood cell disorder, according to his Spanish club Real Madrid. Diarra has gone home after missing the past three days of training in the French Alpine resort of Tignes, and Raymond Domenech, the France coach has yet to decide whether to call up a replacement ahead of Wednesday's home friendly against Costa Rica.

"He wasn't ready physically, he was really exhausted. The illness was triggered off by the altitude, he had predispositions that we couldn't detect in advance," Domenech said yesterday. "He needs a good 15 days' rest to fully recover, and he will recover, that's for sure. It won't have any bearing on the rest of his career, but he's not fit to play in a World Cup." Diarra's illness was apparently triggered when the France team travelled to the foot of La Grande Motte glacier, where they slept in a restaurant at an altitude of around 3,000 metres in a team bonding exercise last Wednesday night. Domenech was asked on French television yesterday if he aware that Diarra had a medical condition.

"No. Apparently neither was the [France team] doctor. There's a medical confidentiality that is kept by the clubs, by the players," Domenech told the weekly football show Telefoot. "We didn't know. No one knew it was altitude that could trigger it off because, as far as I know, it can be triggered off by other [things]." Real Madrid said in a statement on their website that Diarra is "now resting at home following medical advice due to asthenic syndrome secondary to a sickle-cell anaemia that will be subjected to a haematological study in Lyon Hospital."

Sickle-cell anaemia is a genetic blood disorder where red blood cells form an abnormal and rigid, sickle shape. Diarra trained with the France team at the same resort two years ago before the European Championship, but Domenech said the player "had no problems" at that time. "Of course it's a blow when you lose a player. It's even harder because it wasn't a choice, it's destiny," Domenech added. "It's tough for him because I know how much effort he had put into this World Cup. He was one of the driving forces of this team in terms of the way he played and his attitude."

Diarra has played 27 times for France since making his debut just over three years ago, and was a regular in the qualifiers in a holding midfield role alongside Jeremy Toulalan. Domenech, who must now rethink his plans as to what formation to play, has until June 1 to name his 23 players for the World Cup. * AP