French enjoying la vie en rose in Croydon despite parking ticket

One newspaper described the south London region around Croydon as very unfashionable while another said it was monotonous.

And in an incident unlikely to make the borough any more popular with the national rugby team, it was reported by the Croydon Advertiser that their tour bus was given a parking ticket.

French rugby stars seemed tired of talking about their sleep patterns today after a second night staying at a Croydon hotel. The report also contained unflattering photographs of the south London suburb.

French prop Uini Atonio, taking a selfie with his team-mates, is not happy with the noise at their hotel.

The Daily Mail itself referred to the town as “lifeless” in another article this week.

As team members enjoyed dinner, the parked bus caught the attention of an eagle-eyed traffic warden, who immediately issued it with a parking fine.

French journalist Clémentine Sarlat came under fire from the British press because one of her Tweets was posted alongside the original article.

A Croydon Council spokesman said: “Despite appearances, this is not Croydon’s revenge for disparaging remarks allegedly made about the town by a French rugby journalist earlier this week”.

Croydon Council said the coach was “parked illegally in a bus stop on a busy main road”.

When approached by the Croydon Guardian as they stepped off the team bus at the hotel this afternoon, players declined to comment on the quality of shut-eye on their second night at the four-star lodgings.

But Matthew Sims, chief executive of the Croydon Business Improvement District, said the French criticism was not helpful, adding Croydon was a “wonderful” place to be.

All in all the build up to the tournament has become a bit of farce.

There have already been murmurs that they are unhappy with their World Cup base.