France football coach to chase egos out with a gun

France coach Raymond Domenech has warned that he would “shoot” any players unable to put aside their egos for the sake of the French team at the World Cup.

“The lesson is that they must be intelligent and leave their egos behind and think that it is the team that counts, not them,” Domenech told L’Equipe newspaper.

“If they haven’t understood that, I’ll shoot! The final list must be unveiled on June 1.”

Domenech also warned that a player named in his initial 23-man squad on May 11 could be jettisoned before the World Cup should he show a bad attitude in training.

“It’s possible,” he admitted. “The real problem, once again, is that everyone leaves their ego behind. I’ve already told them, I can say it again, insist on it.”

France play warm-up games against Costa Rica in Lens on May 26, Tunisia away in Rades four days later, and China on the Indian Ocean French territorial island of Reunion on June 4 before disembarking in South Africa.

Their Group A pool matches see the French facing Uruguay in Cape Town on June 11, Mexico in Polokwane six days later, and hosts South Africa in Bloemfontein on June 22.

Domenech said his goal was now to craft together a squad that could “perform the best possible on June and go through until July 11”, the date of the World Cup final.

“We will do everything to do it (win the World Cup),” he said. “But that will come from the inside. The players must be persuaded of that.

“The players are the motor and it’s them who will advance the machine.

“It’s for that reason that selection is vital.”