France, Portugal already lagging in World Cup

France coach Raymond Domenech is in danger of losing his job only two games into World Cup qualifying, while Carlos Queiroz is under pressure barely two months after taking the Portugal job. The two teams are fourth in their qualifying groups knowing that only those which finish top are sure to go to South Africa for the 2010 tournament. While World Cup holder Italy, European champion Spain, Germany and England are in strong positions even this early in the qualifying stage, France and Portugal are already falling behind and face tough away games on Saturday. France goes to Romania and Portugal visits Sweden. Defeats will put more pressure on the two coaches. While Queiroz is new to the job and almost certainly will get more time to put things right, Domenech is already barely hanging onto his position after France's dismal... [read full story]