France

Pires: We Hate Domenech? Well, Excuse Us!

World Cup winning star Robert Pires has launched a no-nonsense attack on the French footballing authorities in Football365 today. Even if he was asked, he would never play for les Bleus again…

Sep 23, 2008 4:54:23 PM

Photo Gallery

Zoom

Robert Pires of France (AFP)

Teams

Exiled from international football since a 2-0 victory away in Cyprus in October 2004, veteran midfielder Robert Pires has come to terms with his international career being over.

The former Arsenal star, now plying his trade with Villarreal in Spain, explained to Football365, “I am well at home and with my family; I have other priorities now. For me, les Bleus are finished.”

One of the issues that Pires seems to have over playing for France is not necessarily with head coach Raymond Domenech, but with the FFF.

“They dirtied and degraded the imagine of France ’98,” a hurt Pires reveals, “These guys forgot what happened in 1998 and 2000. Where is the recognition?” Pires’ next sentence is not fit for publication but, needless to say, it is rather scathing of the French authorities.

He continues, “Excuse us if we are not supportive of Domenech, especially with the work that he has done, excuse us not to understand.”

Pires is referring to Jean-Pierre Escalettes, president of the FFF, who was revealed to have elected to maintain Raymond Domenech as the French head coach as he was worried that the generation of France ’98 would takeover the running French football.

Robin Bairner