THE PRESIDENT of the French Football Federation has refused to be drawn on speculation that Raymond Domenech will lose his job as manager of the national team if the Republic of Ireland beat France in the World Cup play-offs.
Jean-Pierre Escalettes also appealed to French fans to support their team and said “what would annoy me the most would be the sight of the Stade de France totally green” for the second leg in Paris on November 18th.
With an expectant if jittery mood among French commentators as the squad started to assemble at their base outside Paris yesterday, Escalettes would not say whether he would resign if France lost the tie, but remarked that in that event, “we would square up to it and draw our conclusions.”
Would that mean parting ways with manager Raymond Domenech, he was asked by the newspaper Le Parisien?
“We’re not going to talk about that before [the] Ireland [match]. As players say, let’s take one match at a time.”
Concerned by the prospect of a repeat of the scene in the Stade de France for the World Cup qualifier in 2004, when half the stadium seemed to be occupied by Irish fans, the French federation have made strenuous efforts to restrict Irish fans’ access to tickets.
The FAI received an allocation of 8,000, but in an attempt to avoid any more tickets falling into Irish hands, the federation decided not to sell seats for the second leg on the internet or over the telephone.
Asked yesterday if he would be making any appeal to French people, Escalettes said: “They must support les Bleus . . . What would annoy me the most would be the sight of the Stade de France totally green.”
Despite the best efforts of the federation to control the supply of tickets, he added: “I’m convinced that the Irish have found a few French friends to go and buy them tickets.”
Uefa president Michel Platini also sought to temper his compatriots’ expectations in advance of the tie, and gave a pessimistic assessment of the French team.
“France can’t win the World Cup and the European Championship every time. That would be too easy . . . If she manages it, that’s good; if she doesn’t, it’s because she didn’t deserve it,” he said.
Platini recalled that France won the World Cup in 1998 after having failed to qualify for the previous two competitions, in 1990 and 1994. “Life won’t come to an end on November 18th if we fail against Ireland,” he said. Football is an eternal renewal. We’ll have a new coach, a new team and it will all start again. Football is not a tragedy. Neither is missing out on a World Cup.”
Last month, the former French midfielder got involved in the debate over the quality of the current national team when he remarked that “we don’t necessarily have a great generation” of players.
Meanwhile, Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger said the outcome of the play-off would hinge on “whether the collective desire of the Irish can surpass the technical superiority of the French.”
"I can't wait to see the blend between the passion and desire to progress of the Irish, and the calculating temperament of Trapattoni," he was quoted as saying in France Footballmagazine.
“The French team is still very young but it has more individual qualities. The question is whether the collective desire of the Irish can surpass the technical superiority of the French.”
Wenger, who works as a television commentator on French international matches, also praised the Ireland manager, saying: “I have immense respect for Trapattoni and his passion. At 70 years of age, he’s still ready to fight every day.”
NET LOSS TORRID WEEKEND FOR FRANCE’S TOP GOALKEEPING PAIR
THE intense rivalry between France’s leading goalkeepers Hugo Lloris and Steve Mandanda is such that every weekend comparisons are made between the two, reports Matthew Spiro from Paris.
There was little to choose between them on Sunday, as both endured torrid, error-filled evenings in an incredible encounter at Stade Gerland.
The helter-skelter 5-5 draw between Lyon and Marseille is already being billed as Ligue 1’s “game of the century”, although neither coaches were particularly impressed by the generous defending and goalkeeping on display.
Marseille established a 4-2 lead with 10 minutes remaining, yet by the time Michel Bastos scored in added time, Lyon were 5-4 ahead. “It’s very frustrating for a coach. There were far too many mistakes,” lamented Marseille boss Didier Deschamps, whose side equalised in the 94th minute thanks to an own goal from another international Jérémy Toulalan. If the Lyon midfielder, who is certain to start at Croke Park on Saturday, could hardly be blamed for his last-second blunder, neither Lloris nor Mandanda covered themselves in glory.
Lyon number one Lloris got a touch to four of Marseille’s five goals but failed to keep any out. He was guilty of a terrible handling error for Souleymane Diawara’s first-half strike, allowing a tame shot to slip from his grasp and trickle over the line. The 22-year-old had previously been in fine form, producing two exceptional displays against Liverpool, and seems sure to remain Raymond Domenech’s first choice.
Domenech, though, is hardly flushed with options. Mandanda was beaten at his near post for Lyon’s third and fifth goals, while France’s third goalkeeper Cedric Carrasso gifted Lille a goal on Saturday as champions Bordeaux lost 2-0.
