A stuttering and controversial qualification could yet precede success for France at World Cup 2010.

Getting away with it: France, captained by Thierry Henry (left), scraped through qualification with a controversial play-off win over the Republic of Ireland

France's World Cup record: 1930 1st rd, 1934 1st rd, 1938 QF, 1954 1st rd, 1958 3rd, 1966 1st rd, 1978 1st rd, 1982 4th, 1986 3rd, 1998 Winners, 2002 1st rd, 2006 RU.

How France qualified for World Cup 2010: European play-off winners.

The Coach: Raymond Domenech (French, 57). Appointed: July 2004. WC experience: Player: None. Coach: 2006. He won eight caps as a player and he has made hard work of qualifying for two World Cup finals, even he did reach the final in between.

The Country: France are like England: they have won on home territory and the expectation ahead of every tournament is that they will win the World Cup again.

France came close last time, losing on penalties in the final to Italy when Zinedine Zidane attracted most of the headlines. It should not be forgotten that Les Bleus started the 2006 campaign badly, only just qualifying for the knockout stages, so the luck of their success against the Republic of Ireland should be taken in context.

France's campaign for 2010 qualification got off to a disappointing start with a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Austria in Vienna and speculation followed regarding the future of Domenech.

Despite qualification the jury is still out on the coach. A man who is of Spanish and Catalan descent admitted he had problems with former Arsenal player Robert Pires ... because of his Scorpio star sign.

Pires said at the time: "I must be annoying him. It's like being at school. It's like I'm 20 years old and playing football for the first time." South Africa could be the same.

Telegraph verdict: Any right-minded football fan will regard the French as the tournament’s bête noire after Thierry Henry’s disgraceful cheating to deny the Irish. They seem to progress in spite of – rather than because of – their coach and like Argentina are guilty of a criminal misuse of talent. However if harnessed, as was eventually proved in the last World Cup, could go far.