Domenech recalls Makelele then threatens ban

France coach Raymond Domenech has recalled Claude Makelele for the Euro 2008 qualifiers against Georgia and Italy but said he was unsure if the invitation would be accepted and threatened to invoke a two-game club ban if it was declined.

The Chelsea midfielder announced his international retirement after winning his 50th cap in the World Cup final defeat by Italy.

"We had a discussion but I didn't ask for his opinion. For me it would be unthinkable to see a great player playing for a great club not playing for his national team," Domenech said yesterday.

"A player who refuses to accept a selection is liable to a two-match suspension," he added in reference to FIFA's rule that can lead to club bans for reluctant internationals.

Domenech said he had spoken to Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho on the issue.

"I had a discussion with Mourinho as I often do with the coaches of our international players but it was not a matter of reaching an agreement over Makelele," he said.

"I told him where I stood, he told me where he stood. We still have the law for us," he added.

In 2002 the French Federation asked the English FA to invoke a two-game ban for Nicolas Anelka after the then-Manchester City striker refused a call-up for a friendly by former coach Jacques Santini.

The FA side-stepped the issue on a technicality when it was discovered that Anelka had not been given the mandatory 15-day notice of his call-up.

There was better news for Domenech from another retiree, Liliam Thuram, who is France's most experienced player with a record 121 caps.

The Barcelona defender had been mulling over his future since the World Cup but told the coach on Wednesday he was available for selection.

In a third change to the squad who defeated Bosnia 2-1 in a friendly earlier this month, Domenech also recalled Lyon striker Sidney Govou.

Roma defender Philippe Mexes and midfielders Julien Faubert (Girondins Bordeaux) and Jeremy Toulalan (Olympique Lyon) have been dropped.

"I just wanted to select the best team available because we face two important games and we must absolutely record two wins," Domenech said.

"The match in Tbilisi will be a tricky one," he added. "We'll talk about the game against Italy later on."

France will visit Georgia on September 2 before hosting Italy at the Stade de France four days later.