Domenech to lead France

U21 role
Domenech had been France's Under-21 coach since 1993, when he took charge under the guidance of Aimé Jacquet, who is believed to have championed his candidacy. Domenech's side reached the UEFA European Under-21 Championship last four in 1994 and 1996, and in 2002 lost the final on penalties to the Czech Republic.

Three options
French Football Federation president Claude Simonet said: "I received 41 applications and read all of them. Step by step they were reduced to six - Jean Tigana, Bruno Metsu, Laurent Blanc, Glenn Hoddle, Raymond Domenech and René Girard. They were then reduced to three with Domenech, Blanc and Tigana. Wisely, we examined all the positive and negative points and, after a final talk with Aimé Jacquet, we chose Raymond Domenech."

World Cup goal
"I have been supported by a lot of people and I can assure them that I'll be striving to unite everybody to fight for results," Domenech said. "Everything's OK today, it's like a wedding day, but I know what can happen in the future. The target will be to qualify for and win the 2006 [FIFA] World Cup. Results are important but we can’t neglect pleasure and players must enjoy playing."

Club career
A player with Olympique Lyonnais, RC Strasbourg, Paris Saint-Germain FC, FC Girondins de Bordeaux and FC Mulhouse, Domenech was capped eight times by France before beginning his coaching career with Mulhouse and Lyon.

Girard steps up
His first match in charge of France will be an 18 August friendly in Rennes against Bosnia-Herzegovina, followed by their opening World Cup qualifying Group 4 fixture at home to Israel on 4 September. Under-16 coach Girard will step up to take charge of the U21 team.