UNDER-FIRE France coach Raymond Domenech said he was not worried by his own fate before a World Cup qualifier in Romania tonight that could spell the end of his tenure.
"The only thing I'm worried about is the fact that we need to qualify for the 2010 World Cup," Domenech said at the team's Clairefontaine base outside Paris yesterday.
"I've said so before and I'll keep saying it – qualifying does not depend on
one match alone and there will be more matches after this one."
Domenech, who was left in charge but told he needed results after his team's group-stage exit from Euro 2008, knows a bad outcome in the Group 7 match in the Black Sea port of Constanta might cost him his job.
The 56-year-old, whose team began their qualifying campaign with a shock 3-1 defeat by Austria, earned himself a stay of execution with a 2-1 win over Serbia last month. He realises, however, that he is not safe yet, after French federation president Jean-Pierre Escalettes said an assessment of the coach's position would be made after the Romania match.
The abrasive coach received support from captain Patrick Vieira, who has not played for France for months because of a thigh injury but should lead the team this weekend.
"Since he's been left in charge, players and officials must support him, full stop," midfielder Vieira said yesterday. "He has to stay on until the end, he has to be allowed to keep doing his job."
France, who are fourth in Group 7, will play Tunisia in a friendly in Paris on Tuesday, and the French federation will meet the next day with the coach's case on the agenda.
French media have started speculating on who might replace Domenech, with 1998 world champions Didier Deschamps and Laurent Blanc the favourites.
Another big-name coach under pressure is Carlos Queiroz, barely two months after taking the Portugal job.
The former Manchester United assistant takes his side to Sweden with four key players missing through injury. Ricardo Carvalho, Deco, Maniche and Simao Sabrosa are all out but Cristiano Ronaldo returns after a long layoff with an ankle injury. He missed the 4-0 win at Malta and the 3-2 loss at home to Denmark, when Portugal conceded two goals in the last minute to leave them fourth in Group 1.
Italy travel to Bulgaria leading Group 8 but with half their regular line-up missing through injury, including goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon and midfielder Andrea Pirlo.
Coach Marcello Lippi will field several untried youngsters, including former Manchester United and Newcastle striker Giuseppe Rossi.
The full article contains 446 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
