Catherine Ringer remembered for her ‘Je kiffe Raymond’ France song

Catherine Ringer, the distinctive voice of the French group Les Rita Mitsouko, has died at the age of 68. Her children and family announced that she died during the night from Monday to Tuesday after a fulminant cancer. Beyond her music career, Ringer left a brief but memorable mark on French football with a song devoted to Raymond Domenech, then the widely criticised coach of the France national team.

The song, titled “Je kiffe Raymond”, was released on 21 September 2009. Its title expressed Ringer’s affection for Domenech at a moment when public support for the coach had become difficult to find. Domenech had already faced intense criticism over France’s results and his communication, but Ringer turned him into the subject of a playful declaration of admiration.

The lyrics presented Domenech as attractive and self-assured. Ringer sang that she liked his image and stature, praised his gaze and called him a “sacré beau mec”. She also used football language to build the central joke, singing that if he attacked her penalty areas, she would defend him. The song’s affection was direct, theatrical and deliberately out of step with the mood surrounding the national team.

Domenech’s position had become particularly fragile after Euro 2008. France exited the tournament in the first round, and the coach also attracted attention when he proposed to Estelle Denis live on M6. The combination of the disappointing campaign, the public criticism and his unusual communication style made Ringer’s tribute an unexpected intervention on his behalf.

Domenech responded on 1 November 2009. He said he did not like people talking about him and that he always maintained that the players were the ones who brought the France team to life. He nevertheless described Ringer as talented and said her gesture was “sympa”. His reaction acknowledged the song without turning the moment into a broader defence of his record as coach.

The timing placed the tribute close to a decisive stage in France’s qualification campaign for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. A few days after Domenech’s reaction, France played the play-off against the Republic of Ireland. The French team won the first leg away from home 1-0 before drawing the return match 1-1 at the Stade de France.

That second match secured France’s place at the World Cup, but the qualification was overshadowed by a major controversy. Thierry Henry handled the ball twice before supplying the pass for William Gallas to score. The incident became one of the defining images of the campaign and added to the difficult atmosphere around Domenech, despite France’s progression to the tournament.

Ringer’s football connection was therefore built around a particular moment: a celebrated singer publicly backing a coach under pressure, followed by a qualification achieved through a disputed play-off. “Je kiffe Raymond” preserved the contrast between her enthusiastic support and the criticism surrounding Domenech. Following her death, the song stands as an unusual part of her legacy, linking the Rita Mitsouko singer to one of the most turbulent chapters in the modern history of the France national team.