By Gregory Blachier
PARIS, June 5 (Reuters) – Laurent Blanc will be trying to
restore France’s reputation at the European Championship.
The former world and European champion was named France
coach in the aftermath of their dismal 2010 World Cup campaign
in South Africa, where France recorded two defeats and one draw,
with the players staging a strike to support Nicolas Anelka
after he was kicked out of the squad for insulting then coach
Raymond Domenech.
Blanc was dubbed “the president” during his glorious years as
a player yet it remains to be seen whether Euro 2012 will also
serve as his bid for re-election.
He has been at the France helm for two years and his contract
may be extended should Les Bleus perform well. There is no
guarantee of that, however, but hopes remain high even though
they failed to win a single game in the Euro 2008 and 2010 World
Cup finals.
Moreover, while French Football Federation (FFF) president
Noel Le Graet wants to see how France’s Euro campaign unfolds,
Blanc himself has been linked by the media to several top
European clubs. His CV though has certainly been boosted by the
way things have improved since 2010.
With one relatively easy looking friendly to play, against
Estonia in Le Mans, France were unbeaten in 20 matches since
September 2010 and that run will be extended to 21 games if they
avoid an unlikely defeat against Estonia.
Blanc has certainly steadied the ship after the FFF spent
almost a million euros to fire Domenech, with the 46-year-old
signing a two-year deal with the objective of leading France to
Euro 2012.
Blanc is a discreet, almost secretive figure, who takes a
forensic approach to his job, considering every angle, but
maintains a distance from his players.
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