Debacle in 2006: Domenech blames Zidane for everything

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By: Nicolas Gerbault

Raymond Domenech believes that the defeat of the French team in the 2006 World Cup final against Italy is the fault of Zinedine Zidane.

Beautiful people. The French Federation celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of French training this Tuesday. The occasion of a big gathering organized in Clairefontaine to which no less than 500 guests were invited. Among them, many residents of INF Clairefontaine including Kylian Mbappé, Marcus Thuram and Thierry Henry, as well as great selectors, such as Aimé Jacquet and Roger Lemerre.

Other, less prestigious coaches were also present. Raymond Domenech was there and the former French coach (2004-2010) took care to immortalize this afternoon full of nostalgia. The former OL player also posted a photo on X where he appears alongside Aimé Jacquet. With a caption that sounds like a lost bullet for Zizou.

For the 50th anniversary of French training in Clairefontaine, a head separates us”, he wrote, accompanied by a hilarious emoji. It’s hard not to see an allusion to Zinedine Zidane, hero of the 1998 World Cup final thanks to his two saving headers and sent off during the 2006 World Cup final after a headbutt to the chest by Marco Materazzi.

Raymond Domemech has obviously not forgotten this match, which continues to haunt him. “Sometimes at night I wake up and I say to myself: if only I could have spoken with him more, earlier, to explain to him what was going to happen, but I couldn’t imagine what happened “, he explained again a year ago, adding: “ If there had been someone throughout the competition, we don’t know what would have happened, someone who could have talked to Zidane all the time to take the pressure off, because it was his last match. The pressure was too much for Zidane. »

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