Media Monster

France’s World Cup Coach Somehow Digs Himself A Deeper Hole

by Glenn Davis | 9:06 am, July 1st, 2010

Soon-to-be-former French national team coach Raymond Domenech had a tough time at the 2010 World Cup, captured by photographers everywhere. The team was in ruins for a majority of the tournament (which they shouldn’t have even been a part of in the first place), and Domenech himself didn’t help matters when he inexplicably declined to shake hands with South Africa’s coach after their last World Cup game (a loss). Well, France’s nightmare might be over, but Domenech’s – through his own doing – keeps on going.

After being summoned to a meeting with French government officials against FIFA’s rules (we told you the French team was a mess), Domenech got the chance to explain himself. How’d he do? From The Guardian:

Politicians involved in today’s closed-door hearing about France’s World Cup fiasco have grumbled that Raymond Domenech refused to take any responsibility for his team’s misbehaviour and offered no real explanations.

The closest he came to an “explanation” was a favorite tactic of the desperate: blaming the media.

The politicians said Domenech blamed L’Equipe newspaper, which printed details of Anelka’s expletive-laden tirade, for the disarray. Domenech also said the paper misquoted the comments.

“All Domenech says is, ‘It’s the press, it’s the press,’” complained [French National Assemblyman] Bernard Debré.

Lame excuses – now those are the marks of a champion! Assemblyman Jacques Remiller added, “There will have to be more resignations at the federation, because the problems are deeply, deeply rooted.”

This collapse is so bad, it’s surreal. England thinks their team was bad? At least they advanced to the knockout stage. And didn’t revolt against Fabio Capello. And didn’t bomb so badly that the nation’s government felt forced to seriously intervene.

For more, check out this British report on the Domenech situation. Pay special attention to the excerpted speech of French sports minister Roselyne Bachelot:

Nothing will be as it was before. It is your kids, all the kids for whom you will no longer be heroes. The dreams of your partners, your friends, your supporters that you have shattered. It will be the image of France that you have tarnished. How do you think people will remember you?

Damn.

H/T Yahoo! Sports

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