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Domenech takes French helm
Raymond Domenech was appointed France's national team coach on Monday, his mission to restore the fortunes of a side who have lost their World Cup and European Championship crowns in the space of two years. The 52-year-old former coach of the French under-21 team succeeds Jacques Santini who left after Euro 2004 to take over at English premier league club Tottenham Hotspur.
"We received 41 applications, six of them were really serious," French football federation (FFF) chairman Claude Simonet told a news conference. "The shortlist was reduced to three names, Laurent Blanc, Jean Tigana and Raymond Domenech, before we reached a consensus and appointed Raymond Domenech." Simonet said he would recommend the Federation's council "to appoint Domenech for four years with yearly objectives." "I think that we should write in the contract the obligation to qualify France for the 2006 World Cup and to reach at least the semi-finals in Germany," he said. "If these two objectives were to be met, the contract would be renewed for two more years." Baby Victoire Domenech admitted that France "must qualify for the 2006 World Cup and, if possible, win." "We also have to rebuild around our national team the special feeling that helped us to win the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000," he added. The new French coach said he had been informed of his appointment late on Sunday after his partner had given birth to a baby girl and they decided to name her Victoire. As a hard-tackling defensive midfielder, Domenech won eight caps for his country. He started his coaching career at second division Mulhouse and moved on to Olympique Lyon before joining the French national coaching body (DTN) in 1993. He steered France's under-21 team to the semi-finals of the European Championship in 1994 and 1996 and to the final in 2002, bringing through such players as Zinedine Zidane, Thierry Henry and David Trezeguet. "One of the main arguments in favour of Domenech was that he knows all the players in the national team. I think we made the right choice," Simonet said. "He also was supported by Aime Jacquet who is an expert as he coached France to victory in the 1998 World Cup." Traditional choice Former internationals Blanc and Tigana were regarded as the front-runners for the post after Santini announced 10 days before Euro 2004 that he would retire at the end of the tournament. According to French media, Jacquet, who is now head of the DTN, turned the tide in favour of Domenech during a meeting of the FFF's council and general assembly in Clermont-Ferrand on Friday and Saturday. The choice of Domenech restored a long tradition of handing the job to a member of the DTN which was broken when Santini was appointed in 2002. Gerard Houllier was a member of the national coaching body when he replaced Michel Platini in 1992. So was Jacquet when he succeeded Houllier in 1993 and Roger Lemerre when he took over from Jacquet in 1998. Domenech will make his debut as coach when France meet Bosnia in Rennes on August 18, their first game since they lost their European title in Portugal, surprisingly beaten by eventual winners Greece in the quarter-finals. France begin their 2006 World Cup qualifiers on September 4 at the Stade de France against Israel. |
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