Old School Raymond

Domenech's last-ditch stand ?

By Matthieu Boisseau
08/11/2010

Fortunately for the French Football Federation's leaders (FFF), looking a fool never killed anyone. Otherwise former French team coach Raymond Domenech would have been guilty of murdering his superiors. In 2008, they turned a blind eye to France's monumentally rotten display at Euro 2008 by allowing him to continue in charge of the team. A catastrophic initiative, as it lead to last summer's three miserable performances and the ill-timed mutiny at the World Cup. Two years later, as they decided to fire him from his position as technical director of the French Football Federation, “The Butcher” (Domenech's nickname when he was a player) lodged a complaint with an employment tribunal for unfair dismissal ! He is now demanding  a compensation of over £2.5m from the French Football Federation (FFF). A double knife stuck in his employer's back...who may have deserved it...

What justified Domenech's dismissal ?

In the FFF's President Fernand Duchaussoy's words, Domenech “tarnished France's image” by making three "grave errors" at the World Cup :

1. Failing to properly handle the expulsion of Nicolas Anelka from the squad. The Chelsea player was sent home by Domenech after he insulted the coach during the half time of France's 2-0 loss to Mexico. But the federation criticized Domenech for omitting to immediately tell the federation's then-president Jean-Pierre Escalettes about Anelka's tirade. An example among other, of Domenech's disastrous sense of communication.

2. Reading a letter from the players explaining their shameful boycott to the media. The letter, which sought to justify their boycott of a practice session,  was received with horror by the French public. Even worse, Domenech was then considered party to the strike.

3. Refusing to shake the hand of South Africa coach Carlos Alberto Parreira after France's loss in its final group match. Parreira said that one of France's assistant coaches had told him afterwards that Domenech resented the Brazilian for supposedly declaring his team didn't deserve to be at the World Cup, following Thierry Henry's "shameful" hand ball which helped France beat Ireland in a playoff in November. This reaction was all the more ridiculous as Parreira denied these quotes later. But would Domenech be reproached for this rude behaviour if he had won the World Cup ? Of course not. This is why it turns out to be a convoluted pretext rather than an objective wrong-doing.

Domenech's shameful refusal to shake Parreira's hand.

How did the FFF react ?

The federation has since said that it is not surprised by Domenech's decision, which is normal procedure when an employee plans to contest his sacking. Moreover, given the former coach's provocative personality, the complaint was probably anticipated by the FFF's President Fernand Duchaussoy when he chose to refuse any out-of-court settlement by sending Domenech a lay-off letter. Nevertheless, he couldn't help make a statement saying that "The amount Mr. Domenech is asking for in severance is extravagant and constitutes another provocation".

Domenech's last-ditch stand ?

"There is no acrimony [in this complaint]" claimed Domench's lawyer, Jean-Yves Connesson, before explaining: "Monsieur Domenech is simply surprised that there was a political decision taken by the federation, which is separate and in defiance of their code of conduct, to allocate personal responsibility for a collective crisis. Considering the extremely harsh conditions and the seniority of my client, we will demand a first payment for 400,000 Euros including compensation for dismissal. The second is for professional and moral prejudice and is worth three years salary," Connesson told AFP. The fact is that Domenech, whose reputation could not be more tarnished, knows that he has nothing to loose at the trial : if he cannot save face any more, at least he will preserve his bank account. He has also pointed out the fact that the FFF obviously tried to make him the scapegoat for the World Cup epic fail.

Domenech reads a letter from the players explaining their boycott to the media

 

What will be the verdict at the trial ?

It seems that the three “serious errors” Domanech is charged with are not so heinous nas to justify his dismissal. As  the sports lawyer, Stéphane Bacrie,  explained perfectly in an article in France Soir : “No matter what happens, Raymond Domenech will benefit from this disagreement and receive substantial financial compensation”.

In other words, the FFF is now facing a seemingly unsolvable dilemma: Dot hey decide to maintain their dismissal, in which case they will probably lose and have to pay an exorbitant compensation to Domenech at the end of a what will certainly be a long and undignified process. Or do they find a way of settling discreetly out of court with Domenech. That would be the most sensible choice, as the FFF would officially keep its “uncompromising” image, and Domenech will no longer have to register at the Employment Pole (he did it on the end of September) to receive the unemployment benefit ! Poor Raymond...

In conclusion, the Road to redemption and honour will undoubtedly be long and torturous for French Football, as disgraceful conflicts are still shattering the FFF.  Icing on the cake , the players stand accused of breaking the promise they had made to refuse any financial rewards related to their (catastrophic) performance in South Africa (for more information, click here). It will definitely be necessary for Laurent Blanc to have an unwavering morale !

Last but not least. A song by Catherine Ringer, the founder and co-leader of the French music band Les Rita Mitsouko, which will delight all Domenech's fans...WE LOVE YOU RAYMOND !