Former France coach Raymond Domenech will ask an employment tribunal for €2.9 million ($4.1 million) in severance pay after being sacked without compensation by the French football federation.
Domenech's lawyer told Wednesday's L'Equipe newspaper that his client was made "a scapegoat" for France's poor performance at the World Cup, where the team was ousted in the group stage.
The federation later said it is not surprised by Domenech's decision, which is normal procedure when an employee plans to contest his sacking.
"But the amount Mr. Domenech is asking for in severance is extravagant and constitutes another provocation," French federation president Fernand Duchaussoy said in a statement.
Domenech was fired by the federation for making three "grave errors" at the World Cup: failing to handle properly the expulsion of Nicolas Anelka from the squad, the subsequent player strike at a practice session, and his refusal to shake the hand of South Africa coach Carlos Alberto Parreira after France's loss in its final group match.
Anelka was sent home after his profanity-laced tirade against Domenech during France's 2-0 loss to Mexico was published in the French media. The rest of the squad then boycotted a practice session, to the horror of the French public.
The federation criticized Domenech for allegedly not providing details about Anelka's tirade to the federation's then-president, and for reading a letter from the players explaining their boycott to the media.
As for the handshake refusal, Parreira said a France assistant coach had told him afterward that Domenech was angry because the Brazilian had said his team didn't deserve to be at the World Cup.
Press reports in December quoted Parreira as saying France wouldn't have qualified if not for striker Thierry Henry's "shameful" handball, which helped France beat Ireland in a playoff in November. Parreira has denied these quotes.
