Thierry Henry accepts the French team were wrong to act in the way they did at the World Cup finals but he insists they had to show support to their banished team-mate.
France's World Cup campaign was marred by reports of player unrest and infighting with things coming to a head when Chelsea's Nicolas Anelka was sent home for insulting coach Raymond Domenech.
His dismissal resulted in the entire squad refusing to train ahead of their final Group A match against South Africa, which they eventually went on to lose 2-1.
It was Henry's double handball against the Republic of Ireland in the play-offs that secured France's place in the finals and the Barcelona striker admits that experience made him determined to stand by Anelka.
"We had to show our support to Nico because it wasn't what he said," Henry told Canal+. "We knew that he was going to be sent home the next day without consulting us.
"They could have talked to him, suspended him from the ready of the World Cup but let him stay with the team. But to send him home like that!
"I had the story of the handball, I was alone, and I know what that's like. We couldn't leave a team-mate like that.
"With hindsight, when you look at the consequences you could say it was an error."
France's hopes of progressing to the last 16 of the competition were already slim before the Anelka incident and Henry does not believe the controversy did not cause their exit.
"I don't know whether the Anelka matter was the triggering factor. There was certainly a sickness.
"But I don't think you can talk of clans. I can tell you that I never saw any fights, I didn't see anyone put any pressure on whoever," he went on.
"Decisions were group ones. The main reason for this fiasco is that we didn't play well.
"Unfortunately we entered into debates, invented stories....But we shouldn't look the other way. We weren't good enough.
"When a team wins, everything can happen, when there are defeats doubts come in and stories start getting invented."