The French have decided to keep Raymond Domenech as their coach(I know, I can't believe it either). Nineteen of the twenty French Football Federation members voted to keep Domenech. I wouldn't be surprised if Gerard Houlier was the one person who abstained, as many thought he would replace Domenech. Domenech will now be the head coach until at least 2010, and is charged with making sure France qualify for the World Cup in South Africa.
Besides being a snazzy dresser(I really do like the lapels and rectangle tie he wore at Euro Cup), and having worn an intimidating mustache at one point, it's hard to understand why he is the coach of the French National Team. He coached Olympique Lyonnais and the French U-21 team for a decade, but didn't have much success at either. He was a surprise appointment in 2004, and was told he had to reach at least the semi-final of the World Cup. France had not qualified for a World Cup since 1986, receiving automatic spots for hosting in 1994 and as the defending champions in 1998, so it didn't seem like he would last long. Domenech was able to convince Zidane, Thuram and Makelele out of retirement and steady defense from his veteran side nearly won them the World Cup. However Domenech's reliance on older players had a catastrophic result in Euro Cup as they were crushed by the Dutch, and exited in the first round. Many have criticized him for not giving Nasri, Ben Arfa, Diarra, Toulalan and Gourcuff chances, and his reliance on a defense that was well of the pace of the game was a problem. The French have a number of good young stars on both sides of the ball, and it is strange that the former youth team coach isn't willing to give them a chance to shine. After a loss to lowly Austria, a close victory over Serbia and a comeback tie against Romania they sit in fourth in their World Cup Qualifying group.
The French have decided to keep Raymond Domenech as their coach(I know, I can't believe it either). Nineteen of the twenty French Football Federation members voted to keep Domenech. I wouldn't be surprised if Gerard Houlier was the one person who abstained, as many thought he would replace Domenech. Domenech will now be the head coach until at least 2010, and is charged with making sure France qualify for the World Cup in South Africa. 
Besides being a snazzy dresser(I really do like the lapels and rectangle tie he wore at Euro Cup), and having worn an intimidating mustache at one point, it's hard to understand why he is the coach of the French National Team. He coached Olympique Lyonnais and the French U-21 team for a decade, but didn't have much success at either. He was a surprise appointment in 2004, and was told he had to reach at least the semi-final of the World Cup. France had not qualified for a World Cup since 1986, receiving automatic spots for hosting in 1994 and as the defending champions in 1998, so it didn't seem like he would last long. Domenech was able to convince Zidane, Thuram and Makelele out of retirement and steady defense from his veteran side nearly won them the World Cup. However Domenech's reliance on older players had a catastrophic result in Euro Cup as they were crushed by the Dutch, and exited in the first round. Many have criticized him for not giving Nasri, Ben Arfa, Diarra, Toulalan and Gourcuff chances, and his reliance on a defense that was well of the pace of the game was a problem. The French have a number of good young stars on both sides of the ball, and it is strange that the former youth team coach isn't willing to give them a chance to shine. After a loss to lowly Austria, a close victory over Serbia and a comeback tie against Romania they sit in fourth in their World Cup Qualifying group.
