July 7, 2002	Sunday	Rabi-us-Sani 25,1423

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PARIS, July 6: French Soccer Federation (FFF) president Claude Simonet says that “three or four names” are in contention to replace sacked France coach Roger Lemerre.

“I have three or four names in mind and I hope I’ll be able to solve the problem between July 14 and July 20,” Simonet told a FFF general assembly meeting in Lyon on Saturday.

The general assembly confirmed Lemerre’s dismissal, proposed by the FFF council, on Friday, 24 days after the defending champions suffered a humiliating World Cup first round exit.

Simonet told the assembly that the council had given him a mandate to select the new coach “after consultations with the people in charge of French professional soccer.”

He didn’t quote any names but candidates are already queuing up officially, or through their supporters, to replace Lemerre.

Simonet is in favour of Jean-Francois Domergue, a former Paris St Germain manager who last season guided Le Havre to promotion.

Michel Platini, who is a vice-president of the French Football Federation and sits on both the FIFA and the UEFA executive committees, is championing Jacques Santini.

Santini resigned as Olympique Lyon coach after taking them to the French first division title last season, but stayed on as club manager.

“Of course, I’m interested in the job and I’m very touched when I hear people like Michel Platini quoting my name but so far nobody has been in touch,” Santini told the L’Equipe.fr website.

But French league president Frederic Thiriez was quoted as saying by the daily Le Monde that he was against Santini’s candidacy because “he had problems communicating with other people.”

Lemerre’s reluctance to talk to the press was one of the many things which antagonised his critics.

France’s 1998 World cup-winning coach Aime Jacquet favours the appointment of France under-21 coach Raymond Domenech.

“It seems obvious to me. I’m a member of the National Technical Direction (DTN) and have worked with it for ten years. If Roger goes, and I insist on the ‘if’, then I’m a candidate,” Domenech said last Wednesday on his website.

“I’m the under-21 manager and I know all the players eligible for the A team right now. I have trained them all as youngsters and I have no problems with leading a squad like this.”

Former international midfielder Alain Giresse, who currently coaches Morocco’s FAR Rabat, has also put himself forward. “I have always been interested in the job but I was far from thinking about it,” he said.

Philippe Troussier, who guided co-hosts Japan to the last 16 of the World Cup, has also been touted.—Reuters