Managed to remember with google/wiki help, it was Bilic who got Blanc sent off: Bilić was involved in controversy during the tournament for the role he played in the dismissal of Laurent Blanc in the semi-final with France. With Croatia behind, a free kick was awarded which saw Slaven marking the French defender. Bilić held Blanc and to free himself, Blanc pushed Bilić, making contact with his chin and chest. Bilić fell to the ground clutching his forehead. Bilić later admitted that he was acting, and went down only after encouragement from teammate Igor Å timac. Blanc was sent off and missed the World Cup final through suspension. Bilić did not apologize but did say, "I swear if I could change that so [Blanc] could play in the final, I would."[4]
They also have a tendency to have multiple squads on the go. There was a blog on the BBC site saying the Argentinians currently have an A squad, a B squad, and a domestic/South American based squad, and the Brazilians for a long time used mainly domestic based players for World Cup Qualifying so the European based players don't have to travel as much, just playing friendlies around Europe instead. I can't see that tactic harming them since they get to give the top players at home competitive international experiance whilst the top players who've moved for European money are learning about the opposition and playing international games as well. Suspect that is the team and used substitutes in the game, we were definately allowed more on the bench than that because we had 22 man squads. Wasn't Owen the only player that tournament to have a squad number bigger than his age?
