France's cockerel depressed over double life
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.France's World Cup mascot, the cockerel Diomede, is to be sent home to his hens at a chicken farm near Brisbane, having been diagnosed as suffering from depression.
The fed-up fowl was instantly rumbled by the Fijians before France had even played a match as not being a genuine French bird, and now the strain of his double life appears to have caught up with him. He will leave the squad before France meet Japan in Townsville on Saturday.
France's hooker Raphael Ibanez revealed Diomede's plight yesterday. "Patrick Tabacco [the flanker], who has been in charge of Diomede and knows a lot about roosters because he grew up on a farm, sounded the alarm," Ibanez said. "He told us that Diomede was looking rather depressed so we decided that we couldn't decently take him to Townsville on Friday."
Despite the allegations about his Australian identity, Diomede had bravely run along the touchline at all France's training sessions. Claims that it is the French players, not Diomede, who are depressed because the player who made the worst mistake in practice had to clean out his cage, were dismissed yesterday.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments