Has Raymond Domenech become a mere symbol as France’s national team coach?
That is what people are wondering, as France reaches do-or-die time in the struggle to obtain a World Cup playoff berth. Much-criticized French coach Raymond Domenech has been more than under fire since as far back as 2006, when a resurgent Zidane, along with fellow veterans Thuram, Makelele, Vieira, et al, led France to the final. What followed was the all-too telling moment when Zidane’s headbutt and dismissal led to the crumbling of any French hope.
Domenech has had bust-ups with a number of major players through the years, and has, to understate things, a poor sense of timing (at some point it was discussed here that he proposed to his girlfriend on live tv after France’s humiliating elimination from Euro ’08). There appears to be a perpetual coaching void, as the French Federation has inexplicably kept 100% faith in him despite a lack of good results, poor form, and the lack of support from fans, star players, and subs alike.
A recent Guardian article goes so far as to call Domenech a “puppet” coach. Just a day before, the same paper reported Henry saying the team had no direction. Now Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema is joining in on the fun, putting his lack of motivation on display.
A sigh of relief for Domenech as the very latest buzz about him has to do with a new hit song–starring him as the theme. Former porn star turned rocker Catherine Ringer sings about him in Je kiffe Raymond (“I fancy Raymond”). You can read more on that here. Interestingly, she sings that “one golden result” and everyone will love him again. Naturally, we can’t read her mind to tell if she is being serious or facetious.
Returning to Benzema, he is not to be contented with disrespecting authority on the international level. He evidently had a hissy fit upon being substituted against Sevilla in Real Madrid’s 2-1 loss at the weekend. He took a moment to rant against Raúl González, long-time Madrid golden boy, and Manuel Pellegrini, the Madrid coach. Evidently he believes he should play 100% of the time, no matter how badly he is doing. And he was pretty bad on Sunday.
And back to the idea of the puppet coach. Everyone knows that Real Madrid have set records this summer in money spent on Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaká, Benzema, Xabi Alonso, and Raúl Albiol. Naturally, the president, construction magnate of shady associations Florentino Pérez, wants all of his new toys on display alongside a symbol of madridismo such as Raúl (remember his old policy, quite ridiculed, of Zidanes and Pavones?).
Sadly for anyone hoping that real football could emerge here, an excellent coach is being exposed as a mere puppet. Pellegrini, a Chilean, guided modest club Villarreal FC, with little history and hailing from a town of a mere 48,000 people, to unprecedented heights. In his time there, he led them to high-table finishes and Champions’ League appearances (including a semifinals appearance), playing some of the best team football in Spain and Europe. Of course, he did so as a true coach, exerting authority where needed, even exiling the Villarreal superstar Juan Román Riquelme back to Argentina for insubordination. He has already been called in for a “special meeting” with his bosses, the Sporting Director and Director General of Madrid. That must be very comforting for a coach, to know that his bosses care so much about him that they want to “help him find out what went wrong,” since it is obviously his fault.
We shall see what transpires at Real Madrid, a club with a history of firing even coaches who win major titles (Jupp Heynckes got the axe after winning the CL in ’98, Vicente Del Bosque got the axe the day after winning the title [he coached Madrid to 2 Champions’ Leagues]).
What is certain is that Benzema might be hoping for the same influence for France that players get to wield at Real Madrid. And of course, it is pretty clear that such a thing is not always good for football.
