‘The Bus: A French Football Mutiny’ (2026) Netflix Review - Revisiting France’s football Meltdown

Many football fans will find The Bus: A French Football Mutiny an interesting watch. The documentary revisits one of football's most infamous implosions with the tensions of a political thriller. In just within the time span of eighty minutes, The Bus: A French Football Mutiny reminds us of what happened in the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. For those of you who don’t know, the French national team imploded publicly after their star striker, Nicolas Anelka, was expelled from the squad due to an argument with coach Raymond Domenech. In solidarity and protest, the team's players refused to train and remained on the bus in Knysna. With archived footage and interviews, the makers have helped viewers recall the historic event that shook the entire football fraternity.  Former coach Raymond Domenech, captain Patrice Evra, and players like William Gallas and Bacary Sagna all come forward to tell us what they experienced and felt during that time. This helps in getting a clear picture and also listening to both sides of the coin, and not just one.

There are many questions that The Bus: A French Football Mutiny asks and even tries to answer. For example, why did the incident happen? Whose fault was it? Was it the player's ego or the coach’s ego? So many questions will come into your mind. The best part? The tone used to answer the events is not as if the makers are trying to sensationalize or gossip about the incident. Rather, they follow a very investigative tone when it comes to finding answers. That is one of the biggest plus points of The Bus: A French Football Mutiny. While the incident was a sensation when it took place, the makers managed to present it in the most dignified and unbiased manner as they could. They have not chosen sides; instead, they have focused on getting the job of telling the people the truth.

The fact that they managed to get key personnel when it came to answering the most asked questions by the public corroborates the events that took place in South Africa.   As already mentioned, behind-the-scenes interviews and archived footage all become handy in helping us gain more knowledge. The documentary is, in fact, more of a “digging into the truth” kind of plot.

However, at one point, you will feel like wanting more. That is because the entire thing is wrapped up really quickly. This makes you crave more because the news is indeed pretty big to get over so soon. The pacing is fast, which also makes the entire thing feel like a sped-up version of the 2010 incident. Also, certain aspects haven’t been explored deeply as they should have been. I am not sure if it was due to time constraints or what. But perhaps a more detailed version would have been even better. Yet if you wish to revisit the news, The Bus: A French Football Mutiny is the perfect stop for the same.

Final Score- [7/10]
Reviewed by - Neerja Ch
Follow @NeerjaCH on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times