Bordeaux boss Blanc dismisses France rumors

(GSM) – Bordeaux coach Laurent Blanc has dismissed reports that he has agreed to take over as France coach.

Speculation has been rife concerning secret meetings between Blanc and the France Football Federation (FFF), with Blanc having agreed to succeed Raymond Domenech after the World Cup.

While the Bordeaux boss announced at the beginning of the month that he would remain tight-lipped on the matter for the rest of the campaign, he has now broken his silence to dismiss the reports.

Blanc said: “What do you want me to tell you? I said that I wouldn’t speak about it anymore, but I’ll do so anyway out of politeness. I’ll be very brief and very polite because that’s what’s needed: I deny everything that has been said. Full stop.”

Federation chief Jean-Pierre Escalettes also insists no such agreement exists with Blanc, who is under contract with his club until 2011.

“It’s completely false,” he told French radio station RMC. “It’s ridiculous. Of course I completely deny it. Absolutely nothing justifies this type of rumour. It seems absurd to me.

“I have to ask myself what they are looking for with these types of rumours. It’s doing wrong to the France team.”

This is only Blanc’s third season in management. In his first campaign he steered Bordeaux to second spot in Ligue 1 before finally ending Lyon’s stranglehold on the French title last year.

Domenech has been in charge of the France team since 2004 and led Les Bleus to the World Cup final four years ago.

However, France have disappointed since then and many thought Domenech should have gone following a disastrous Euro 2008 campaign.