ECCENTRIC France coach Raymond Domenech chose an odd moment to propose to his partner Estelle Denis – just moments after seeing his side crash out of Euro 2008 following defeat to Italy last night.
Domenech, 56, asked for his 31-year-old TV presenter girlfriend's hand in marriage as he was being interviewed on French television station M6 – the channel Denis works for – after the 2-0 loss against Italy in Zurich. The Italians now face Spain in
the quarter-finals after a second-string Netherlands saw off Romania 2-0 in Berne.
"The only thing I am thinking of now is getting married to Estelle. I ask her for her hand in marriage," said Domenech on live television.
When asked why he chose that particular moment to propose, Domenech replied: "It was just a thought. Everyone was so sad and I thought to myself, 'Life has its beautiful moments'.
"You have to tell people you love them. In such difficult moments, you have to go to what's important. I wanted to show some emotion."
Domenech almost certainly faces the sack after France finished the Group C campaign bottom of the table with no wins and just one goal.
They needed a win against Italy to stand a chance of qualifying for the quarter-finals, but Andrea Pirlo scored from a spot-kick and fellow midfielder Daniele De Rossi added the second with a free-kick that deflected off Thierry Henry's foot into the back of the net.
The full article contains 253 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
