Lemerre angered by English campaign against friendlies

Kaiserslautern star Youri Djorkaeff has retained his pace in the French squad despite only playing one game so far for the Bundesliga club this season.

Djorkaeff is in dispute with 'Lautern team coach Andy Brehme but played last week for the German side.

He has been named by French coach Roger Lemerre to play in a friendly against Algeria in Paris on October 6th.

Lemerre used his squad announcement to attack moves by English clubs to try and hamper his squad selection for a friendly in Australia in November.

"My allegiance is to the French national team and not to any club," said Lemerre.

"I am not here to please English clubs. I must say that this is a problem and that they are not making my life easy."

"The French team has the same rights as others when it comes to preparing for the World Cup."

Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein circulated a petition to Premiership clubs top try and prevent the call-up of French stars for the trip to Australian. Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira, Sylvain Wiltord and Robert Pires all risk fatigue thanks to the marathon journey across the world but Lemerre is entitled under FIFA rules to call up any French player.

France have only friendlies to play as they prepare to defend their World Cup title next May but European clubs are upset that Lemerre has been taking his squad on long journeys across the world.

But the Algeria game is in Paris and in front of many ex-patriate Algerian fans who now live in France.

World record transfer signing Zinedine Zidane - a two time world player of the year - has Algerian parents but opted as a teeanger to play for the French team after being raised in Marseille.

The squad in full -

Goalkeepers - Fabien Barthez (Manchester United) and Ulrich Rame (Bordeaux).

Defenders - Vincent Candela (AS Roma), Marcel Desailly (Chelsea), Christian Karembeu (Olympiakos), Frank Leboeuf (OM), Bixente Lizarazu (Bayern Munich), Willy Sagnol (Bayern Munich), Mikael Silvestre (Manchester United) and Lilian Thuram (Juventus).

Midfielders - Youri Djorkaeff (Kaiserslautern), Claude Makelele (Real Madrid), Emmanuel Petit (Chelsea), Robert Pires (Arsenal), Patrick Vieira (Arsenal) and Zinedine Zidane (Real Madrid).

Strikers - Thierry Henry (Arsenal), David Trezeguet (Juventus), Sylvain Wiltord (Arsenal) and Christophe Dugarry (Bordeaux).