France confirm Blanc appointment

Laurent Blanc was appointed France coach on Friday, replacing Raymond Domenech whose six-year tenure ended with Les Bleus' group stage exit from the FIFA World Cup.

Blanc's then club FC Girondins de Bordeaux announced in May that the 44-year-old had been approached by the French Football Federation (FFF) to take command of the team ahead of UEFA EURO 2012 qualifying. He has now signed a two-year contract with the FFF.

An elegant defender in his playing days, Blanc won the 1998 World Cup and UEFA EURO 2000 in the colours of France. He also represented the likes of FC Barcelona, Olympique de Marseille, FC Internazionale Milano and Manchester United FC as well as Montpellier Hérault SC.

Blanc turned to coaching in 2007 and in his second season at Stade Chaban-Delmas guided Bordeaux to their first French championship in a decade. After a sixth-placed finish in 2009/10, he will be replaced as Bordeaux boss by Jean Tigana.

Blanc's appointment was confirmed during a council meeting of the FFF in Paris, during which president Jean-Pierre Escalettes formally handed in his resignation in the wake of the team's World Cup elimination.

The new coach will get his first taste of international management when France meet Norway in a friendly on 11 August, three weeks before EURO qualifying begins with a home fixture against Belarus.