Raymond Domenech has acknowledged that he was "stupid" to read out the letter that explained why his France squad went on strike at the 2010 World Cup.
A surprise appointment to replace Jacques Santini in 2004, Domenech led Les Bleus to the World Cup final just two years later, but saw his side fail miserably at Euro 2008, before his reign ended ignominiously with the "bus of shame" incident in South Africa.
The entire France squad remained on the team coach after it had arrived for a training session in a show of support for Nicolas Anelka, who had been sent home after reportedly insulting Domenech.
Media and fans alike were astounded when the Les Bleus boss publicly read out a letter written by the squad to explain the reasons why they refused to train in South Africa following the exclusion of Anelka.
"I give myself that credit, saying to myself that at that moment, I was stupid, but I'm not stupid all the time," Domenech said in an interview with L'Equipe 21.
A number of supposed ringleaders of the strike, including captain Patrice Evra, were punished for their roles with international bans, while Domenech was left a laughing stock as a result of the debacle, which was compounded by his team's first-round exit.
"The scar has healed, but I needed time to explain it. There came a time when I closed the matter, I understood why," Domenech said. "I just needed to say that I didn't understand why I read the letter. I still sometimes say to myself: 'What happened?' I try to understand. By moving on in life, I get to the same conclusion: that there is no explanation. That's it."