Football: Nasri eager to redeem himself

PARIS: Midfielder Samir Nasri is determined to leave his mark on Euro 2012 after being cast as a scapegoat for France’s dismal showing at Euro 2008 and missing out on a place at the 2010 World Cup. Nasri was cast as a troublemaker in the local press during France’s group-stage exit in 2008 but says he did not deserve to be blamed for what happened in Austria and Switzerland. “The generational problems were a false excuse to hide the failings on the pitch,” said Nasri. “Today, the staff is very close to the players and try to live with them, which wasn’t the case before. [But] we’ve started from scratch and all of that is far behind us.”

Published in The Express Tribune, February 29^th, 2012.