Raymond Domenech breaks his silence and admits his "mea culpa"

It has been quite a while since the former coach of the French national football team, Raymond Domenech, has given an interview of any sort.

He has remained discreet and refused to go into any details over the disastrous performance of Les Bleus at last year's World Cup finals in South Africa, the players' infamous strike, the disappointing Euro 2008 showing or his post-managerial plans after being fired in September 2010.


But in this week's edition of the French news magazine L'Express, published on Wednesday, Domenech breaks his silence.

Responding to some of the questions that others have been answering in his place over the past couple of months is, says Domenech, "an attempt to restore the truth and show that I'm not the moron I've been described as being."

And the 59-year-old doesn't mince his words.

"With hindsight I see them as a bunch of irresponsible brats," he says of the players who, in that now "legendary" non-footballing moment, returned to their bus and refused to get off for the training session before the team's final match against the hosts South Africa.

He admits that he didn't want to read out the players' statement but had little choice in the matter.

"There were hundreds of kids waiting on the sidelines and all the cameras were trained on the bus," he says.

"We were the laughing stock of the world. Somebody had to take responsibility and stop the charade."

Legal reasons prevent Domenech from speaking of the incident that sparked of the players' strike - the alleged altercation with Nicolas Anelka during the half time interval in the match against Mexico and the subsequent sending home of the striker.

But the former coach says quite simply that he did his job as trainer.

He has harsh words for the then-sports minister, Roselyne Bachelot, who was also in South Africa during the debacle and said that she had given the players a pep talk and believed that some of them had "tears in their eyes."

"The players were close to tears? Maybe of laughter," he retorts.

"I never got involved in the vaccination campaign (against H1N1 flu, for which Bachelot was also responsible as health minister) and when I'm not competent (in a matter) I hold my tongue."

The interview is far from being one in which Domenech passes the buck and blames others.

Far from it. He admits he made mistakes; from choosing the wrong players and not explaining himself sufficiently well to failing to step down from the job after the Euro 2008 campaign when France went home with just one point and one goal after the group stage.

"I've asked myself why I didn't resign then," he reveals.

"More than that, I wonder why I wasn't asked to step down."

But for all the admission of mistakes made Domenech doesn't take criticism well, and it's a trait which perhaps gives him an air of arrogance.

"If others have the impression that I have no regrets, then perhaps that's because I'm a bad communicator," he says.

"Let's be clear; I made mistakes in not choosing the right players or finding the right words," he continues.

"I don't accept the criticism of politicians or former players who are now journalists but that doesn't stop me from drawing my own conclusion over my record as a manager."

You can read the full interview on the website of L'Express.

It’s all over bar the shouting

In the time honoured tradition of the good old sporting cliché it’s time to break open the thesaurus, cry over the spilled milk and join the rest of the country in mourning France’s humiliating exit from Euro 2008.

On the morning after the night before, the French newspaper headlines are inevitably screaming for the head of the national team’s coach, Raymond Domenech.

Tuesday’s 2-0 defeat to Italy could have just been the final straw to break the camel’s back as far as Domenech’s future in the job is concerned, although popping up in front of the microphone on the inevitable post-match post-mortem on national television immediately following the game his mind seemed to be elsewhere.

In front of millions of viewers Domenech behaved as though he had stepped straight on to the set of a Reality TV show by proposing to his long-time partner and one of the programme’s presenters, Estelle Denis.

Red-eyed and clearly brimming with emotion, Domenech mumbled into the microphone that he had only one project for the immediate future.

“That’s to marry Estelle,” he said. “It’s at times like these that we all need someone and I need her,” he continued.

“I thought to myself that there are beautiful things in life such as saying to people that we love them.

And it’s in these difficult moments that everyone wants to say what really matters. I wanted to say that,” he added.

Fairly tugs at the heartstrings doesn’t it? There was no admission of his failure or mistakes he had made, just a mention of “a team for the future” and a marriage proposal into the bargain. Quite a night all round really.

Domenech’s contract with the French Football Federation runs until 2010 and – perhaps luckily for him given his miserable track record as manager – isn’t actually performance related.

But the head honchos of French soccer will be getting together next month with the coach to discuss not only the strategy for qualification for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa but most likely his future too.

Already there are a number of experienced managers and former internationals itching to step into Domenech’s shoes and prove that a reign at the top can actually bring home trophies.

Didier Deschamps and Laurent Blanc – both members of France’s World Cup winning squad back in 1998 are two of the favourites being touted around at the moment.

On a positive note – yes there is apparently one to be spun from France’s early exit – is the pool of talented young players available as Domenech or whoever starts rebuilding for the 2010 campaign.

A number of the old guard 30-somethings have announced their retirement from international football. Lilian Thuram, Willy Sagnol and Claude Makelele have already said they’re hanging up their boots and more are expected in the following days.

While the fat lady might still be singing for Domenech, for the players it’s now time to lick their wounds, pack their bags and take the first flight home.

With the Netherlands beating Romania in the group’s other match, Les Bleus - incidentally playing in white for their last match of the tournament – finished plum last, managing just one measly goal and one even more measly point from their three appearances.

A pretty poor showing in anyone’s books from the 2006 World Cup runner up and one of the pre-tournament favourites.