France’s 2-0 loss to Mexico at the 2010 World Cup has unleashed a storm of outrage in the French media. Former France internationals and politicians on both sides of the ideological divide heaped criticism on the team and coach Raymond Domenech.
“Sack them all!” railed conservative law-maker Nicolas Dupont-Aignan on Canal Plus television. “Changes must be made when something doesn’t work ... They must be sacked. Maybe not all of them, but something must be done.” The head of the left-wing Europe Ecologie party, Daniel Cohn-Bendit, was almost as stinging in his criticism, telling Europe 1 radio, “What’s strange is that the players know how to play football, but when they play together, they play badly. They don’t like each other.” Cohn-Bendit reserved special criticism for Domenech and cited one of France’s living football legends, Zinedine Zidane. “He is right when he says that Domenech is not a coach, he’s someone who just puts the players on the pitch.” As a result of the loss, France has only a very slim chance to advance from the group stage, a withering setback for a side with players who start for some of Europe’s biggest clubs.
The French, beaten finalists in the 2006 World Cup, must defeat host South Africa convincingly on June 22 and hope for a favourable result in the other group encounter between Mexico and Uruguay.
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Former France international defender Bixente Lizarazou has never been sparing of his criticism of Domenech, and Thursday’s mediocre performance against Mexico provided him with ample ammunition against the lame-duck manager.
“Raymond Domenech bears a large part of the responsibility for this elimination because he is the coach,” he told RTL radio. “He was always like a weather vane, changing his ideas, the players and his concept. It’s high time that we talk about it.” Another former France international, Robert Pires, put it more succinctly.
“The France side is the image of its coach. He is not good, they are not good,” he told TF1 television.
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French media were equally unsparing in their reproaches.
“The incompetence of the French side refutes all the discourses held by Raymond Domenech and his players about their strength of character and their capacity to react,” the sports daily L’Equipe wrote. “This morning France is contemplating a field of ruins: its national team.” The daily Le Parisien called the team’s performance “pathetic,” and asked: “How can a side that never enjoys itself transform itself into a dream machine overnight? Through the magic of players who don’t get along with each other? With the knowhow of a coach who still proceeds by trial and error?” For the man who coached France to its only World Cup championship in 1998, Aime Jacquet, everyone bears responsibility for the debacle.
“Naturally, it’s a failure for Domenech,” he told France Info radio, but added that “many of the players also have a lot to think about.” And he dismissed France’s chances of progressing into the round of 16.
“I don’t see how we can qualify,” he said. “The verdict has been pronounced. It is merciless.”