Domenech Trashes Walter Smith

Bleus coach Raymond Domenech is back again, winning friends and influencing people. His most recent target: Scotland’s ex-coach, Walter Smith. Smith just left (or, in Domenech’s opinion, abandoned) the Scotland team to coach the Glasgow Rangers (who dumped their coach, Paul Le Guen, who then went to Paris St. Germain after PSG dumped Guy Lacombe. Last I checked, Lacombe was the one without a seat in this great game of football manager musical chairs. But that could change any second.)

But anyhow. From the article:

“Asked whether Smith put club before country, Domenech replied, ‘Club, bank account.’”

(Oooooh.)

He then added: “I don’t judge why he made his choice. I say that it is a shame from a sporting perspective. In terms of sporting ethics, it is a shame in situations like that that the guy has the right to completely abandon his team when it has already started the competition. It is not fair play.”

Uh-huh. Since Scotland currently leads France on goal differential in their Euro 2008 qualifying group (after a shock Scotland upset over France in October), who benefits most if there’s trouble in paradise at Scotland? Let’s see…that would be…France. So perhaps our Raymond is being a teensy bit disingenuous?

Or maybe not. Maybe he really does care about the Scots. Maybe he really does want a level playing field. It is actually possible. I have given up trying to figure out Raymond Domenech.

But he does always give me interesting things to write about.