Laurent Fignon, a Frenchman who twice won the Tour de France but was defeated by American rival Greg LeMond in arguably the event's greatest race, died Tuesday after a battle with cancer, the French Cycling Federation said. He was 50.

Nicolas Anelka's profane tirade at the World Cup may have been his last act with the French national team.

France coach Laurent Blanc will drop all 23 World Cup players for his first match next month as collective punishment for the team's embarrassing fiasco in South Africa.

France coach Laurent Blanc will drop all 23 World Cup players for his first match next month as collective punishment for the team's embarrassing fiasco in South Africa.

French legislators huddled behind closed doors to investigate an issue of national importance - not terrorism or recession, but the French football team's meltdown at the World Cup.

Lawmakers taking part in a closed-door hearing about France's World Cup fiasco said Wednesday that coach Raymond Domenech refused to take any responsibility for his team's misbehavior and offered no real explanation for their debacle.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter warned French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Tuesday that his country's team risks suspension from global tournaments if he meddles in the running of the national soccer federation.

France winger Florent Malouda apologized to his nation and its fans after the team's disastrous World Cup, saying that restoring its battered reputation is now the priority.

The referee waved a red card at the French player, ejecting him from the game for a nasty, elbow foul. His coach buried his head in his hands.

French fans in Paris groaned and booed their own team Tuesday - and even cheered for South Africa - as they watched France's last World Cup loss, a final humiliation after the squad's public infighting left the nation aghast.

Seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong has given French President Nicolas Sarkozy a new bike, complete with red-white-and-blue detailing to match the country's flag.