Domenech seeks bumper compensation package

Raymond Domenech’s lawyer has confirmed his client will seek a compensation payment of €2.9m from the French Football Federation after his exit as national team coach.

Domenech led Les Bleus through their shambolic World Cup campaign in South Africa this summer, which marked the final act of an increasingly turbulent reign.

Matters on the pitch are beginning to improve under his successor Laurent Blanc, with successive 2-0 wins in European Championship qualifiers against Bosnia-Herzegovina, Romania and Luxembourg following a friendly defeat to Norway - with a shadow squad after Blanc suspended all those involved in the summer fiasco – and a shock loss to Belarus in their opening qualifier.

But the FFF remain under an interim president in Fernand Duchaussoy and the Domenech saga rumbles on in the background, with his representative Jean-Yves Connesson today confirming his plans to seek the hefty payment.

Connesson told radio station RTL: “There is no acrimony, no animosity. Monsieur Domenech is simply surprised that there was a political decision taken by the federation, which is separate and in defiance of their code of conduct, to allocate personal responsibility for a collective crisis.

“Considering the extremely harsh conditions and the seniority of my client, we will demand the severance payment due to him as well as three years of salary, a lump sum of €2.9m.”